Summary Description: Complete a baseline investigation of the Moses Lake resident species fishery. Identify fishery enhancement measures that will increase the amount of recreational fishing. Restore/enhance the failed recreational fishery.

Background: Moses Lake was once the premier fishery for resident game fish in the Columbia Basin. Beginning in the late 1970's, these fisheries experienced a steady decline due to a number of events. Some of the causes have been tentatively identified, such as changes in species composition, recreational angling, and habitat conditions; however, the individual impacts and interactions of these events are less well understood. While some evidence of cause and effect might have been deduced from the changing species and abundance data described, other changes were also occurring to the lake itself, and these changes to habitat conditions were less obvious and the effect on the fisheries was far less well understood. Water quality data has been routinely and voluminously collected by several State and Federal agencies and others. In addition, the rapid shoreline development on Moses Lake and the resultant habitat losses were cause for rescinding the nationwide shorelines permit for this water. Nutrient loads in Moses Lake and the accompanying algae and plant growth have been a problem for over four decades. Washington Department of Ecology lists water quality as severely impaired by high levels of phosphorous. Yet the relationships of these many factors have never been synthesized, nor has this information been correlated with any extensive study of the fisheries. An extensive database on species biology remained unanalyzed with much of the data in its raw form. Current fisheries management tactics included the continued stocking of rainbow trout combined with net pen rearing and stocking crappie broodstock in an artificially isolated portion of the lake. Evaluation of these measures has been minimal.

Milestones: Contract 1999AP15859 for the purchase of a Hydrolab for $8735 was completed and closed as of 1999. Accomplishments 1999 Complete reference library. Complete and current database. Summary of the history of Moses L. Identify past fish population trends. Identify further data needs. Contract 2000AP28306 for $4,525 for drysuits was issued and completed in 2000.

Results: None identified.

Publications:

Publication Title	Report Type	Coverage Years	Published	Pages	DOE/BP Number
Moses Lake Fishery Restoration Project Factors Affecting the Recreational Fishery in Moses Lake Washington	Annual	2002 - 2003	Nov 2003		00006320-4 R 237
Moses Lake Fishery Restoration Project	Annual	2000 - 2001	Feb 2003		00006320-3 R 196
Moses Lake Fishery Restoration Project	Annual	1999 - 2000	Feb 2003		00006320-2 R 195
Moses Lake Fishery Restoration Project	Annual	1998 - 1999	Dec 2000		00006320-1 R 180

Project Classification Keys:
Primary: All projects in the Resident Fish Program
Secondary: Monitoring, baseline, assessment, and O&M;
Tertiary: Basline surveys and research, feasility studies

Work Sites

Site/Subsite Names	Site Type	Types of Work Performed
MOSES LAKE/	Reservoir (incl. lakes, ponds,etc.)	No work done, not funded

Project Budget and Obligation:

Fiscal Year	Initially Authorized	Latest Authorized	Authorized Change	Obligation In Process	Bonneville Overhead	Contracted Obligation	Contracted Agent
1998	$52,180	$283,170	$230,990	$0	$0	$283,170	WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT of FISHERIES
1999	$269,438	$269,438	$0	$0	$0	$8,735	HYDROLAB CORP
Totals:	$321,618	$552,608	$230,990	$0	$0	$291,905	.