Invitation to Submit Nominations to Serve on Independent Science Panels

Members of the Independent Science Advisory Board (ISAB), Council staff, and representatives from NOAA Fisheries, US Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Idaho Fish and Game, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), on the May 2023 tour of the Hells Canyon Complex dams with the Upper Snake River Tribes (USRT) Foundation, Bureau of Reclamation, and Idaho Power

The Council, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), and NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center invite nominations to establish a pool of qualified candidates interested in potential appointment to the Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) and/or the Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP). Please submit nominations by January 31, 2025 to [email protected].

Both the ISAB and ISRP have eleven members, with some intentional overlap of members between groups. The ISAB serves the Council, NOAA Fisheries, and Columbia River Indian Tribes by providing independent scientific advice and recommendations on issues related to regional fish and wildlife mitigation and restoration programs under the Northwest Power Act and the Endangered Species Act. The ISAB's body of work-over 100 reports and an effort spanning three decades-has improved the scientific rigor of programs, study designs, and analytical approaches for Columbia River fish and wildlife mitigation and recovery. Recent ISAB reports have evaluated progress of the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, assessments of salmon and steelhead reintroduction into Columbia Basin habitat currently blocked by dams, and potential impacts of non-native American shad in the Columbia River.

The ISRP, established at the direction of Congress, reviews projects proposed for funding through Bonneville Power Administration's fish and wildlife budget (approximately $280 million in 2023). Over 300 projects are implemented under the Fish and Wildlife Program and span habit restoration and protection, artificial production, fish passage, and predation management actions and the research monitoring, and evaluation designed to evaluate and improve the efficacy of those actions. Projects are reviewed for scientific soundness and benefits to fish and wildlife; the ISRP then provides recommendations to the Council based on those reviews.

Candidate credentials are evaluated by the National Academies of Science. Qualified candidates are then added to a pool of scientists for potential appointment to the ISRP and ISAB. As vacancies arise on the ISAB or ISRP, new members will be selected from this pool (see the National Academies' February 2019 memo). Final appointments to the ISRP are determined by the Council. ISAB appointments are made by the ISAB Administrative Oversight Panel, consisting of the Council chair, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission's executive director, and the director of NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Members can serve for two terms of generally three years and are compensated for their services and reimbursed for travel expenses.

We encourage the nomination of candidates with a broad range of expertise and experience. While many members come from a fisheries and ecology background, current and former members have specialized in fields ranging from hydrogeology to environmental anthropology to biostatistics. ISAB and ISRP members greatly appreciate the opportunity to share scientific advice to inform project, program, and policy development and to work on collaborative and constructive multi-disciplinary groups.

Additional application materials are not required, but we would greatly appreciate it if nominators submit a resume and brief cover letter for each nominee that describes how the candidate meets the criteria for membership required below and their interest in being considered for appointment to the ISAB or ISRP. Please provide contact information for all nominees.

The specific criteria each nominee must meet include:

• High achievement in a relevant discipline, which may include Columbia River anadromous and resident fish ecology, statistics, wildlife ecology, genetics, fisheries, fish passage/bioengineering, fish husbandry, marine ecology, geomorphology, socio-economics, or other appropriate disciplines
• A strong record of scientific accomplishment documented by contribution to peer-reviewed literature or other evidence of creative scientific accomplishment
• High standards of scientific integrity, independence, and objectivity
• Ability to forge creative solutions to complex problems
• Interest in and ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary setting
• Ability to commit sufficient time to effectively participate in review activities, approximately 8 to 40 hours per month depending on assignments (members are compensated for their services and reimbursed for travel expenses)
• Ability to comply with the ISAB/ISRP conflict of interest standards for the duration of their appointment.

See the ISAB and ISRP pages for more information including publications and lists of current members.

If you have any questions, please contact Erik Merrill, ISAB and ISRP Manager, at 503.222.5161 or toll free at 1.800.222.5161.

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