This report summarizes
activities by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s
(WDFW) Lower Snake River Hatchery Evaluation Program from 16 April
2004 to 15 April 2005.
Fall Chinook salmon
broodstock were obtained from the Lyons Ferry Hatchery (LFH) ladder
from 7 September until 18 November and the adult fish trap at Lower
Granite (LGR) Dam from 6 September until 20 November.
Fall Chinook were
spawned at LFH from 18 October to 29 November with the peak spawn
days occurring during the 15th and 16th of November. We processed
2,709 adults and jacks trapped at LFH, 964 adults and jacks trapped
at LGR, and returned 89 fish to the Snake River. Many (29.5%) of the
males were used multiple times due to mating protocol constraints.
This was the third
year that Snake River natural origin fish were included in broodstock
(5.3 % of the fish spawned). In addition this was the first year strays
were purposely used in broodstock (3.2 % of broodstock) since 1989.
These changes occurred because of co-manager and NOAA agreements that
strays should be kept to less than 5% of the broodstock.
We collected 4,929,630
green eggs. Egg mortality to eye-up was 4.6% and 1,180,000 eyed eggs
were shipped to other hatcheries resulting in 3,562,700 eyed eggs
available for production. In February 2006, 154,100 fry (progeny of
matings in which one parent was a stray) were destroyed and 30,000
fry from these crosses were shipped to NPT. Following an additional
2.89% (103,037) sac-fry loss, total fry ponded for production in rearing
ponds was 3,275,563.
In 2005, WDFW
released a total of 1,116,852 subyearlings (2004 BY) into the Snake
River at LFH and Couse Creek boat launch, and the Grande Ronde River
near the mouth of Cougar Creek. An additional 1,203,000 were transferred
to other agencies. Survival of subyearlings from green egg to transfer
and release was 90.8%. We also released 224,853 yearlings (2003 BY)
with a CWT, adipose clip, and a red VIE behind the left eye, and 225,147
fish with a CWT and red VIE behind the left eye from LFH in April
of 2006. Survival of yearlings from green egg to release was 90.1%.
WDFW staff conducted
adult salmon surveys on the lower Tucannon River between 24 October
and 6 December 2005. Redd counts were expanded to account for areas
not walked. We estimate the total number of redds at 67, and escapement
was 201 fish based on an estimate of 3 fish per redd. The composition
of 10 fall Chinook carcasses recovered indicate the majority of Lyons
Ferry Hatchery Evaluation September 2007 Fall Chinook Salmon Annual
Report: 2005 2 adults spawning in the Tucannon were our-of-basin strays
(66.7%). Only one jack was recovered and it was of LF/Snake River
hatchery origin.
Naturally produced
juvenile fall Chinook (BY04) were observed at the Tucannon River smolt
trap (Rkm 3.0) from 31 January through 30 June 2005. Based on 2005
smolt trap estimates and 2004 fall Chinook redd counts downstream
of the trap, we estimated that 72,705 naturally produced fall Chinook
smolts emigrated from the Tucannon.
The run of fall
Chinook to LGR Dam was 11,638 adults and 2,347 jacks. The composition
of the reconstructed run for LF/Snake River hatchery, LF/Snake River
natural, and out-of-basin strays was 64.7%, 24.5%, and 10.8%, respectively.
This is the first year bounds were placed around these estimates.
LSRCP returns
of LF/Snake River hatchery origin fish to the Snake River basin (LFH,
LGR, Tucannon River) totaled 8,476 adults and 2,276 jacks which was
only 58.8% of the number required to meet mitigation.
Take of ESA listed
LF/Snake River hatchery origin fall Chinook totaled 3,072 fish (including
33 returned to the Snake River), and 252 (38 returned to the Snake
River) LF/Snake River natural origin fish.
LF/Snake River
hatchery fall Chinook have a high fidelity to the Snake River. Of
the 4,285 fish with CWTs recovered outside of the Snake River, approximately
0.1% of the fish were recovered at hatcheries, 1.2% at hatchery racks,
and 0.1% during carcass surveys. The majority of recoveries outside
the Snake River basin were in fisheries. The majority of ocean recoveries
of adults from yearling and subyearling smolt releases occurred in
British Columbia and Washington waters.
