The proposed project has significant public purpose because its findings will inform recovery efforts for ESA-listed lost river and shortnose suckers, and may also inform associated water management…

The proposed project has significant public purpose because its findings will inform recovery efforts for ESA-listed lost river and shortnose suckers, and may also inform associated water management decisions. For example, if the majority of kfnfh suckers whose tags are detected (found dead) on bird colonies came from certain release times or locations, the release strategy could be modified to release fish at a time when fewer avian predators are present, or in a location where survival rate of kfnfh suckers is higher. This has significant public benefit to the klamath tribes, who have a direct spiritual, physical, and social connection with the cwaam (lost river sucker) and qapdo (shortnose sucker) as the presence of their people is directly tied to these fishes. Other members of the public in the klamath basin will also benefit, as recovery of these species could result in more flexible biological opinions, and possibly even DE-listing of these species- though the latter is seems highly unlikely in the near future. In the short term, policy or water management decisions may be informed if predation rates are found to vary with surface elevations. Data that may inform water management decisions, or data that may inform species recovery will provide significant public benefit because water is a limited resource in the klamath basin, and the trajectory of ESA-listed species that live in that water strongly influence water management decisions. Objective 1. Colony surveys. Annually coordinate and conduct three piscivorous colonial waterbird aerial surveys and associated colony counts in the upper klamath basin. Objective 2. Data analysis and reporting. Compile PIT and radio tag detection data, assess predation rates, and produce draft and final technical reports annually.objective 3. Estimate survival relative to covariates. Assess sucker survival relative to covariates using capture-recapture-recovery datasets from 2018 to 2027 and summarize results in a draft and final technical report (2025).objective 4. Final data compilation and synthesis report. Provide compiled datasets (predation, survival, covariate) and assess trends in sucker predation and survival for all life stages (wild juveniles, wild adults, sarp juveniles to the extent possible) and study years (2009-2027) as a synthesis report for managers.