Distribution: Presently, most Cowlitz River coho are of hatchery origin. Mayfield Dam has blocked tributaries above river mile (RM) 52 since 1968 but natural production still occurs in several small tributaries of the lower Cowlitz including Olequa, Lacamas, Ostrander, Blue, Otter, Brights, Mill, Arkansas, Foster, and Hill creeks. Adults are also released each year to spawn in the Tilton and upper Cowlitz rivers.
Abundance: The Washington Department of Fisheries estimated coho escapement at about 32,500 fish in 1951. Coho counts past Mayfield from 1961-66 averaged 24,579. Hatchery-produced returns averaged 24,997 adults and 9,723 jacks in 1980-94 with a peak of 54,685 adults in 1986 and 19,178 jacks in 1987. The Northwest Power Planning Council's model estimated smolt production capacity of 123,123 for the lower Cowlitz River, 131,318 for Tilton River and Winston Creek, and 155,018 for above Cowlitz Falls.
Hatchery Production: Hatchery coho have been planted in the subbasin since at least 1915, from the Tilton River Hatchery which operated downstream of Morton until 1921. A salmon hatchery also operated in the upper Cowlitz near the mouth of the Clear Fork until it was abandoned in 1949 because of low water temperatures. Cowlitz Hatchery, completed in 1967, produces about 4.8 million yearling smolts annually. More than 15,700 coho were also released upstream from the Cowlitz Hatchery annually to spawn naturally from 1967 through 1971.
Harvest: Coded-wire tag recoveries of the 1982 brood late coho revealed that most of the ocean catch occurred in Washington (26%) and Oregon (11%) followed by British Columbia (7%) and California (0.1%). Columbia River fisheries accounted for an additional 37% of the total harvest. Escapement was 20% overall. Harvest rates have averaged 79% and 85% for Type-S and N stocks, respectively, between 1983 and 1987. Harvest of Type-S coho is occasionally constrained by fall chinook. Harvest of Type-N coho is rarely constrained by weak stocks.
Habitat: The Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980 severely affected spawning areas downstream from the mouth of the Toutle River at RM 20. Habitat quality has also been significantly degraded by land use and development. Spring flows have been generally less than average since 1975.
Distribution: Fall chinook historically occurred from near the mouth to upper tributaries including the Ohanapecosh and Tilton rivers. Completion of Mayfield Dam at RM 52 in 1968 blocked fish migration into upper Cowlitz River tributaries and eliminated 37% of spawning areas based on redd count distribution. Fall chinook continue to spawn naturally in the Cowlitz mainstem with most spawning occurring between the Cowlitz salmon (RM 52) and Cowlitz trout hatcheries (RM 41.3)
Abundance: In 1951, an estimated 10,900 fall chinook returned to the Cowlitz mainstem, plus 500 to the Tilton River. Run size declined to an average of 5,992 adults and 2,543 jacks at Mayfield Dam in 1961-66. Hatchery produced returns averaged 6,470 adults and 935 jacks in 1980-94 building to peaks of 13,798 adults in 1988 and 3,348 jacks in 1985. Numbers of naturally-spawned fish in the basin averaged 3,876 adults and 254 jacks in 1981-94.
Hatchery Production: The Cowlitz Salmon hatchery was completed in 1967 to mitigate for upstream habitat losses. Fall chinook broodstock are collected from the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery barrier dam except for some of the fish planted in 1968 (Toutle),
1971 (Kalama), and 1981 (Big Creek, Kalama, Bonneville). Hatchery and natural fall chinook are not separated during broodstock collection and both also spawn naturally. Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery mitigation goals include 8,300 fall chinook. Original hatchery designs called for 10 million fall chinook juveniles (66,400 lb.).
Harvest: Coded-wire tag recoveries of 1985-86 brood in the ocean catch were mostly in Washington (18%) and British Columbia (14%), followed by Oregon (11%) and Alaska (3%). Columbia River fisheries accounted for an additional 24% of the total harvest. Escapement was 31%.
Habitat: The Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980 severely affected spawning areas downstream from the Toutle River mouth at RM 20. Habitat quality has also been significantly degraded by land use and development. Spring flows have been generally less than average since 1975.
Distribution: Fall chinook historically occurred from near the mouth to the upper tributaries. With the construction of Merwin Dam in 1931, the majority of the spawning reaches became inaccessible. Fall chinook continue to spawn naturally in the North Fork Lewis River with most spawning occurring between the Lewis River Hatchery (RM 12) to Merwin Dam (RM 16).
Abundance: Current fall chinook production is entirely natural in the North and East Fork Lewis rivers. Natural spawning escapement in the North Fork Lewis River from 1967-94 return years averaged 10,974 adults and 2,045 jacks, with a peak of 21,199 adults in 1989 and 17,596 jacks in 1970. The number of wild juvenile fall chinook that migrated from the North Fork Lewis River between 1977-87 (excluding 1980 and 1981) has averaged 2,786,667 and ranged from a low of 1,540,000 for the 1986 brood and a peak of 4,650,000 for the 1983 brood (estimates are based on simple Peterson recapture method using coded wire tags recovered from adult returns).
Hatchery Production: North Fork Lewis River hatchery production of fall chinook have been inconsistent in terms of numbers and types of releases. Some release
groups were for experimental rather than production purposes. Since 1971, progeny releases from adults collected at Merwin Dam did not exceed 550,000 fingerlings and typically ranged from 50,000 to 150,000 fish. Most of those releases were offspring of an early spawning segment of the run. No fall chinook have been planted since 1985.
Harvest: A harvest profile of Lewis River wild fall chinook based on coded-wire tag recoveries of the 1985-1986 brood fall chinook revealed that most of the ocean catch occurred in British Columbia (14% percent) and Washington (5%), followed by Alaska (4%) and Oregon (3%). Columbia River fisheries accounted for an additional 13% of the total harvest. Escapement was 62% overall.
Habitat: Habitat quality has been significantly degraded by land use, development, and dams since the mid-1900's. Spring flows have generally decreased during the last 60 years.
Distribution: The Lyons Ferry Hatchery is located at the confluence of the Palouse River with the lower Snake River at RM 56.2. Fall chinook salmon are hatched and reared at the Lyons Ferry facility and either released on station or barged downstream and released.
Abundance: Hatchery produced returns averaged 1,312 adults and 913 jacks in 1984-94 building to a peak of 3,267 adults in 1987 and 4,160 jacks in 1985.
Hatchery Production: The objectives of the Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery under the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan are to compensate for the losses of 18,300 fall chinook, Snake River stock. The facility has a single pass well water system through the incubators, two adult holding ponds, and 28 raceways. Design capacity is 101,800 pounds of fall chinook. Adult fall chinook salmon return to the fish ladder at the Lyons Ferry facility for brood stocks. Numbers of fall chinook salmon returning to the Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery ladder are increasing. On-station releases since 1985 are returning as
adults. As of 1987, voluntary returns to the hatchery have been the primary source of brood stock. Prior to completion of the Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery, a portion of the Snake River stock fall chinook salmon adults were collected and reared at the Kalama Falls Fish Hatchery on the lower Columbia River as part of the Snake River Fall Chinook Egg Bank Program. When the Lyons Ferry facility was completed, eyed eggs were transported from the Kalama Falls Fish Hatchery to Lyons Ferry for rearing and subsequent release. Hatchery staff transported 219,800 1984 brood eggs, 1,182,000 1985 brood eggs, and 749,355 1986 brood eggs from Kalama Falls Fish Hatchery.
Harvest: Ocean commercial and recreational fisheries from Alaska to Washington, in addition to Columbia River treaty, non-treaty and sport fisheries all harvest a portion of the Snake River fall chinook.
Distribution: Current natural spawning areas include portions of the upper mainstem, middle fork mainstem, north fork mainstem, and Granite Creek which is a tributary of the North Fork (Lindsay et al. 1986).
Abundance: Average redd counts in index areas ranged between 2.6 per km in 1959 and 22.2 per km in 1962 (Lindsey et al. 1986). Escapement to the subbasin averaged 2,100 adults and jacks during 1979-94 (TAC 1994). Recruit per spawner ratios (to spawning grounds) remained below replacement levels for an extended period during the 1970's (Petrosky et al. 1996).
Hatchery production: Hatchery-reared spring chinook salmon have never been released into the John Day River subbasin (ODFW et al. 1990).
Harvest: John Day spring chinook are taken in ocean and Columbia River mainstem sport, commercial, and tribal fisheries. Ocean exploitation rates rarely exceed 5%. Mainstem exploitation rates for spring chinook including the John Day population have declined from an average of 52% during 1950-74 to an average of 8% from 1975-94 as fisheries were curtailed to protect weak stocks (ODFW and WDFW 1995). Small numbers (0-41 per year) have also been harvested in the basin by the Umatilla Tribe since 1986. Sport fisheries for spring chinook in the subbasin have been closed since 1978.
Habitat: Average spring discharge has ranged from 1 to 10 kcfs over the last 40 years. Spawning and rearing habitat for spring chinook has been degraded and fragmented by extensive water withdrawal, grazing, mining, and logging (Lindsay et al. 1986, OWRD 1986, Wissmar et al. 1994). Habitat quality remains high in wilderness areas of the north fork mainstem and Granite Creek. High summer water temperatures (>25°C) limit fish production in the upper mainstem and middle fork, which flow mainly through agricultural lands. Screens are currently maintained on several hundred water diversions. Significant habitat improvement efforts began on federal lands in 1973 and on private lands in 1984.
Distribution: Spring chinook occur in 28 tributaries throughout the Middle Fork Salmon River (MFSR) drainage (Mallet 1974). In the Marsh Creek drainage, they spawn in Marsh, Beaver, Cape Horn and Knapp creeks (Elms-Cockrum, et al. in press).
Abundance: Spawning escapements for the Marsh Creek drainage during 1957-1969 ranged from 180 to 1,290 adults (Petrosky et al. 1996). Estimated recruits to the Columbia River mouth from these brood years ranged from 1,236 to 6,620. As with other Snake River stocks, the population productivity declined and became more variable following construction of the lower Snake River dams (Petrosky and Schaller 1992). Recent spawning escapements (brood years 1975-1994) were much reduced, ranging from 16 to 491; no redds were found in the Marsh Creek drainage during the 1995 spawning ground survey (IDFG unpublished data).
Hatchery Production: The entire MFSR is managed for wild, native spring and summer chinook and steelhead (Kiefer et al. 1992). Only one experimental release of hatchery chinook has been made into the MFSR drainage (Matthews and Waples 1991; 22,000 nonindiginous spring chinook fry into Cape Horn Creek in 1975 by University of Idaho).
Harvest: MFSR spring chinook are currently taken in ocean and Columbia river mainstem sport, commercial and tribal fisheries. Ocean exploitation rates are less than 5%. Mainstem exploitation rates for spring chinook including MFSR populations have declined from an average of 52% during 1950-74 to an average of 8% from 1975-94 as fisheries were curtailed to protect weak stocks (ODFW and WDFW 1995).
On average, 24% of Idaho's salmon sport harvest, 1959-1978, came from the MFSR drainage (Horner and Bjornn 1981). Maximum annual sport harvest in the MFSR was 3,851 spring chinook in 1955-1958 (Gebhards 1959 cited in Thurow 1985). Sport harvest ranged from 349 to 1,906 and averaged 1,003 fish in 1969-1978 (Howell et al. 1985). The MFSR has been closed to sport harvest of chinook since 1978.
Habitat: The MFSR drains 2,830 square miles of central Idaho (Kiefer et al. 1992). Most of the drainage, including the mainstem, is within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. The rugged topography and wilderness designation has preserved high quality habitat, except in some headwater streams. Summer water temperatures are suitable for salmonid rearing throughout the drainage. Major irrigation diversions are absent. Cattle grazing has historically degraded a portion of mainstem Marsh Creek (OEA 1987); cattle were excluded from the drainage in 1993.
Distribution: Sockeye spawn in the lower 3.5 miles of the Little Wenatchee, the lower 5 miles of the White River at the upper end of Lake Wenatchee (RM 59), and in the Napeequa River (a tributary to the White River). In the 1960's, production also occurred in Nason Creek.
Abundance: The Wenatchee River sockeye natural spawn escapement from 1960-93 return years averaged 24,824 with a low return of 6,600 in 1978 and a peak of 64,600 for the 1977 return.
Hatchery Production: Beginning in 1939, and continuing until 1943, sockeye were trapped at Rock Island Dam for relocation to three national fish hatcheries (Leavenworth, Entiat, and Winthrop). Releases of sockeye smolts occurred from 1941 through 1969, with all three Grand Coulee Fish Maintenance Project hatcheries contributing to the Wenatchee River Basin. The Leavenworth facility continued to rear sockeye up until 1969 when it was decided to abandon sockeye propagation due to a number of factors, including losses from IHN. Mullan (1986) contends that the effects of artificial propagation of sockeye salmon in the Columbia River were not inconsequential, indicating that hatchery production composed as much as 98% of the return in some years. Wenatchee sockeye are presently managed on a natural stock basis.
Harvest: Sockeye are not harvested in significant numbers in ocean fisheries. Limited non-treaty and treaty commercial gillnet fisheries, as well as subsistence net fisheries and the Lake Wenatchee sport fishery, all harvest a portion of the Lake Wenatchee origin sockeye. No commercial season has occurred since 1988.
Habitat: Habitat quality has been significantly degraded by land use and development in the basin.
