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Local News

Chinook Salmon Management in Similkameen River

By NCBI
Sep 24, 2012

The Colville Tribes' Fish and Wildlife (CTFW) Department is implementing a conservation strategy for summer Chinook salmon in the lower Similkameen River in late September and early October 2012.

The Tribes' selective harvest crew is removing hatchery-origin summer Chinook salmon from spawning areas to reduce the proportion of hatchery-origin spawners (pHOS) in the wild. Hatchery-origin fish removal is intended to promote the spawning of natural-origin or "wild" salmon and encourages local adaptation to the unique environmental conditions of the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers.

"In the long term, the CTFW plans to utilize the Okanogan weir for Chinook salmon adult management activities," said Joe Peone, CTFW director. "But we will be studying the effects of the Okanogan weir over the next several years so we will need to implement other methods of adult management such as the purse seine in the Columbia River and beach seines in the Similkameen River. These activities will help us achieve salmon population objectives for the ratio of hatchery-to-natural origin spawners on the spawning grounds."

According to CTFW, this management strategy also utilizes selective gears such as hoop nets and dip nets that provide the opportunity to selectively retain hatchery-origin Chinook while successfully releasing natural-origin Chinook salmon.

"Hatchery-origin Chinook will be sampled for biological characteristics as well as coded wire tags and PIT tags," said Casey Baldwin, CTFW Sr. Research Scientist. "Wild Chinook salmon will be immediately released and allowed to spawn naturally."

The study area on the lower Similkameen River extends from the confluence with the Okanogan River upstream to the Kline Site, a WDFW property located near the cross channel connecting the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers.

"This strategy for reducing pHOS is consistent with contemporary science for conservation management of hatchery programs including the Chief Joseph Salmon Hatchery," said Baldwin. "This effort is also consistent with selective harvest and broodstock collection projects undertaken by the CTFW Department."


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