U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2020–1033

Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, Yakama Nation Fisheries, 

and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Evaluation of Water Temperature Effects on Adult Sockeye 

Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Behavior in the Yakima River, 

Washington, 2019
Cover: Tailrace of Wannawish Dam, Yakima River, Washington. Photograph by 

Tobias J. Kock, U.S. Geological Survey, June 25, 2019.
Evaluation of Water Temperature Effects on Adult Sockeye 

Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Behavior in the Yakima 

River, Washington, 2019

By Tobias J. Kock, Scott D. Evans, Amy C. Hansen, Brian K. Ekstrom, Richard Visser, Brian Saluskin, and

Paul Hoffarth

Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, Yakama Nation Fisheries, and 

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Open-File Report 2020–1033

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DAVID BERNHARDT, Acting Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2020

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must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Kock, T.J., Evans., S.D., Hansen, A.C., Ekstrom, B.K., Visser, R., Saluskin, B., and Hoffarth, P., 2020, 

Evaluation of water temperature effects on adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) behavior in the 

Yakima River, Washington, 2019: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020-1033, 15 p., 

https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201033. 

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)
iii

Contents

Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................... 1

Methods......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Fish Collection and Tagging....................................................................................................................... 4

Fish Monitoring Array ................................................................................................................................. 6

Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Environmental Conditions .......................................................................................................................... 7

Fish Behavior ............................................................................................................................................. 7

Results........................................................................................................................................................... 7

Environmental Conditions .......................................................................................................................... 7

Fish Behavior ............................................................................................................................................. 8

Discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 11

Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................... 13

References Cited......................................................................................................................................... 13

Figures

Figure 1. Graph showing average daily number of adult sockeye salmon passing McNary Dam, on the 

Columbia River, 2009–18 .............................................................................................................................. 3

Figure 2. Map image showing locations of fish release sites and fixed radio telemetry monitoring sites 

used to detect tagged fish in the Yakima and Columbia Rivers, Washington ................................................ 4

Figure 3. Graph showing mean daily river flow and water temperature in the lower Yakima River,

June 1—October 31, 2019............................................................................................................................. 8

Figure 4. Graph showing mean daily water temperature as measured at the Van Giesen Bridge (U.S. 

Geological Survey streamgage number 12511800) in Richland, June–July 2019, and number of tagged 

sockeye salmon that moved downstream and were detected on a fixed telemetry site near the mouth of

the Yakima River, Washington, June 26–July 1, 2019................................................................................... 9

Figure 5. Graph showing mean daily water temperature as measured at the Van Giesen Bridge (U.S. 

Geological Survey streamgage number 12511800) in Richland, August–October 2019, and number of 

tagged sockeye salmon that entered the Yakima River and were detected on a fixed telemetry site near

the mouth, Washington, September 9–21, 2019.......................................................................................... 10

Figure 6. Graph showing residence time of radio-tagged adult sockeye salmon at potential cool-water 

refugia sites on the lower Yakima River, Washington.................................................................................. 11

Tables

Table 1. Number of adult sockeye salmon returning annually to Roza Dam, Yakima River, Washington, 

2013–19......................................................................................................................................................... 2

Table 2. Number of adult sockeye salmon collected and radio-tagged on the Lower Yakima River

during 2019.................................................................................................................................................... 5
iv

Conversion Factors

International System of Units to U.S. customary units 

Multiply By To obtain

Length

centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.)

millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.)

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft)

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

kilometer (km) 0.5400 mile, nautical (nmi)

Volume

liter (L) 33.81402 ounce, fluid (fl. oz)

Flow rate

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:

°F = (1.8 × °C) + 32.

Abbreviations

rkm river kilometer

USGS U.S. Geological Survey
1 

Evaluation of Water Temperature Effects on Adult 

Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Behavior in 

the Yakima River, Washington, 2019

By Tobias J. Kock1, Scott D. Evans1, Amy C. Hansen1, Brian K. Ekstrom1, Richard Visser2, Brian Saluskin3

and Paul Hoffarth4

Abstract

A study was conducted in the lower Yakima River, Washington, during June–October 

2019 to evaluate water temperature effects on adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) 

behavior. A total of 60 sockeye salmon adults were tagged with radio transmitters and monitored 

during the study. Fourteen of the fish were collected and tagged at Prosser Dam in late June and 

the remainder were collected and tagged at the mouth of the Yakima River in late July. Water 

temperature exceeded 20 degrees Celsius (°C), conditions shown to block upstream migration of 

adult sockeye salmon in other river systems, from June 9, 2019 to September 15, 2019. These 

elevated temperatures seemed to affect the behavior of tagged fish during this study. Fish that 

were collected and tagged at Prosser Dam left the Yakima River within days of release and 

tagged fish that were collected and released at the mouth of the Yakima River failed to enter and 

move upstream until mid-September when water temperature decreased to less than (<) 20 °C. 

Monitoring sites were located adjacent to several known areas of cool-water inputs that may 

provide thermal refuge for fish in the lower Yakima River to determine if tagged fish spent time 

in these areas. Although several tagged fish moved repeatedly past these sites, most fish spent 

<30 minutes at any given site, indicating that fish were actively migrating past the sites rather 

than holding near cool-water inputs. A single tagged fish moved upstream to Roza Dam and was 

collected for upstream transport to Cle Elum Reservoir during our study. Additional research in 

subsequent years likely will be required to better understand how water temperature affects adult 

sockeye salmon in the lower Yakima River.

Introduction

The Yakima River, in Washington state, historically supported the largest run of sockeye 

salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Columbia River Basin, with an estimated 150,000–200,000 

adults returning annually to spawn (Yakama Nation, 1990; Bureau of Reclamation, 2005). 

1

U.S. Geological Survey 

2

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 

3

Yakama Nation Fisheries

4

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
2 

Spawning historically occurred in four nursery lakes (Keechelus, Kachess, Cle Elum, and 

Bumping Lakes), but access to each of these lakes was blocked by dams constructed during 

1904–10 (Yakama Nation, 1990). The construction of these dams prevented returning adult 

sockeye salmon from accessing the nursery lakes and the population eventually was extirpated. 

As a result, sockeye salmon were absent from the Yakima River for several decades until efforts 

were initiated in the 2000s to develop fish passage at dams in the upper Yakima River Basin and 

to reintroduce anadromous fish populations to areas that they historically occupied (Bureau of 

Reclamation, 2005; Matala and others, 2019). 

In 2002, as part of a settlement agreement with the Yakama Nation, the Bureau of 

Reclamation (Reclamation) agreed to evaluate the feasibility of constructing fish passage 

structures at five reservoir dams in the Yakima Basin, eventually determining that this was 

feasible (Bureau of Reclamation, 2005, 2011). After the feasibility determination, Cle Elum Dam 

was chosen to be the first site where fish passage facilities were constructed. The Yakama Nation 

and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife then began planning to reintroduce sockeye 

salmon into the Yakima Basin and in 2009, and the Yakama Nation began releasing adult 

sockeye salmon into Cle Elum Reservoir. The initial reintroduction effort consisted of 

outplanting 1,000 adult sockeye salmon into the reservoir where they could spawn along 

shorelines or move upstream into the Cle Elum River. Outplanted fish were collected for 

translocation at Priest Rapids Dam on the main-stem Columbia River and originally were 

destined for either the Wenatchee River or Okanogan River (Matala and others, 2019). 

Monitoring indicated that outplanted adults were able to successfully spawn upstream from Cle 

Elum Dam and produce progeny that eventually migrated to the ocean (Brian Saluskin, Yakama 

Nation, oral commun. July 2017). Based on this success, annual outplanting efforts have 

continued since 2009 and in some years as many as 10,000 adult sockeye salmon collected at 

Priest Rapids Dam have been released into the reservoir. These releases now include fish from 

three origins: Wenatchee River and Okanogan River sockeye salmon from Priest Rapids Dam 

and Yakima River sockeye salmon that return and are collected at Roza Dam. The latter fish are 

progeny of sockeye salmon that spawned naturally, after outplanting, in the Cle Elum River. The 

number of adult sockeye salmon that returned to the Yakima River and were collected at Roza 

Dam has varied substantially from a low of 201 fish to a high of 3,742 fish since 2013 (table 1).

Table 1. Number of adult sockeye salmon returning annually to Roza Dam, Yakima River, Washington, 

2013–19.

Year Number of fish

2013 687

2014 2,576

2015 340

2016 3,742

2017 375

2018 201

2019 201

Adult sockeye salmon pass McNary Dam (located 69 river kilometers [rkm] downstream 

from the Yakima River mouth) during June–August (fig. 1) each year and spawn in the upper 

Yakima River basin during September–November (Matala and others, 2019), but migratory 

conditions in the lower Yakima River during summer months may limit the number of fish that 

enter the river and move upstream for spawning. Water temperature in the lower Yakima River 
3 

can exceed 24 ○C when summer air temperature peaks (Appel and others, 2011), which prevents 

sockeye salmon from entering the river and migrating upstream. This phenomenon, referred to as 

a “thermal block”, has been documented for sockeye salmon at several locations including the 

Fraser River in British Columbia (migration blocked at 18–22 ○C; Macdonald and others, 2000) 

and the Okanogan River (migration blocked at 21–23 ○C; Major and Mighell, 1967; Hatch and 

others, 1993) and Snake River in Washington (migration blocked at 22 ○C; Quinn and others, 

1997). In addition to preventing adult sockeye salmon from entering the Yakima River during 

part of their normal migration period, elevated water temperature in the Yakima and Columbia 

Rivers has the potential to increase mortality of sockeye salmon adults, which has been 

documented in numerous studies throughout the Pacific Northwest (Rand and others, 2006; 

Keefer and others, 2008; Mathes and others 2010; Eliason and others, 2011; Martins and others, 

2012; Jeffries and others, 2012). 

5-27-19 6-10-19 6-24-19 7-08-19 7-22-19 8-05-19 

Number of fish per day

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

Figure 1. Graph showing average daily number of adult sockeye salmon passing McNary Dam, on the 

Columbia River, 2009–18.

Although elevated summer water temperature is a threat to adult sockeye salmon in the 

lower Yakima River, Appel and others (2011) collected temperature profile data in the reach 

between Prosser and Richland, Washington, during summer months in 2008 and 2009 and 

reported several areas of cool-water inputs near locations where groundwater discharge seeps 

and stream mouths enter the river. These areas of incoming cool water have the potential to 

provide thermal refuge and benefit adult sockeye salmon if they locate and use them as a source 

of thermal relief during extended warm periods. Sites such as these have been described in other 

systems as cool water (or cold water) refugia and are hypothesized to benefit fish species when 

present (Ebersole and others 2001; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). As an 

example, Ebersole and other (2003) reported that increasing frequency and size of cold water 

patches were associated with increased abundances of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and 

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in northeastern Oregon. 
4 

Although much is known about thermal effects on sockeye salmon and thermal patterns 

in the lower Yakima River, research is lacking on how water temperature affects adult sockeye 

salmon behavior in the system. We conducted a study to evaluate this relationship during 2019. 

Adult sockeye salmon were collected in the lower Yakima River and at the mouth of the Yakima 

River, tagged with temperature-sensing radio transmitters, and released to monitor movement 

patterns and temperature exposure during their upstream migration. Our goal was to assess how 

water temperature affected the behavior of adult sockeye salmon in the lower Yakima River.

Methods

Fish Collection and Tagging

Adult sockeye salmon were collected and tagged at two locations during separate time 

periods of the study. Fourteen fish were collected and tagged at Prosser Dam from June 25 to 

June 28, 2019, and 46 fish were collected and tagged at the mouth of the Yakima River on July 

23 and 24, 2019 (fig. 2; table 2). 

Roza

Dam

Sunnyside Dam

Jackson Creek 

Fish Camp

Marion Dam

Wanawish

Dam

Prosser Dam Hwy. 395 Bridge

N. Richland

I-182

Bridge

Chandler Outfall

Spring and 

Snipes Creeks

Corral 

Creek

Yakima River mouth

Hyde

Road

Priest Rapids Dam

Columbia River

Yakima River

Figure 2. Map image showing locations of fish release sites (black open diamonds) and fixed radio 

telemetry monitoring sites (black closed diamonds) used to detect tagged fish in the Yakima and Columbia 

Rivers, Washington. Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under license. 

Copyright © 2020 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved. 
5 

Table 2. Number of adult sockeye salmon collected and radio-tagged on the Lower Yakima River during 

2019.

Collection location Tagging date

Number 

of fish 

tagged

Fork length 

range

(centimeters)

Temperature 

sensor present 

on transmitter

Prosser Dam June 25, 2019 4 38–58 Yes

Prosser Dam June 26, 2019 5 39–58 Yes

Prosser Dam June 27, 2019 3 34–54 Yes

Prosser Dam June 28, 2019 2 55–56 Yes

Yakima River mouth July 23, 2019 18 35–59 Yes

Yakima River mouth July 23, 2019 11 33–45 No

Yakima River mouth July 24, 2019 3 52–53 Yes

Yakima River mouth July 24, 2019 14 33–49 No

Total June 25–July 24 35 34–59 Yes

25 33–49 No

Fish collected at Prosser Dam were trapped in the southernmost fish ladder at the dam. 

To operate the fish trap, a weir was lowered into the fish ladder to prevent fish from moving 

upstream past the weir and water was diverted from the ladder through a steeppass that had an

entrance located immediately downstream from the weir. To enter the trap, fish moved upstream 

through the steeppass and fell about 1 m into the wetted trap where they remained until tagging 

occurred. The trap was checked twice per day at about 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Trapped fish 

were removed from the trap and tagged using the following process. Fish were hand netted from 

the trap and transferred to a 378-L holding tank that contained fresh river water. Each fish was 

measured to the nearest centimeter for fork length, sex was visually estimated, and a radio 

transmitter (Lotek Wireless; Model MCFT3–EM®; Newmarket, Ontario, Canada) was gastrically 

implanted using methods described in Keefer and others (2004). The transmitters contained a 

sensor that recorded water temperature at 15-minute intervals in addition to emitting a signal 

every 5 seconds. The internal record of water temperature was downloadable when transmitters 

were recovered at the end of the study. After tagging, fish were transferred to a fish hauling truck 

for downstream transport to the release site which was located at the Hyde Road boat ramp near 

rkm 13. Fish were released about 1 hour after each tagging session ended. 

Angling was used to collect fish at the Yakima River mouth. The Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife organized a group of volunteer anglers to collect fish for 

tagging during a two-day period (July 23–24, 2019). On each day, a total of 16 anglers fished on 

five boats from about 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. The tagging crew was located on a sixth boat 

that remained close to the angling boats. The tagging crew monitored the angling boats 

continuously and pulled alongside individual boats to transfer fish into a 378-L holding tank 

filled with fresh river water when fish were caught. Each fish was measured to the nearest 

centimeter for fork length, sex was visually estimated, and one of two radio transmitter models 

(Model MCFT3–EM®, Lotek Wireless, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada; Model Pisces, Sigma 

Eight Inc., Newmarket, Ontario, Canada) was gastrically implanted. Model MCFT3–EM®

transmitters included the temperature sensor described in the preceding paragraph. Model Pisces 

transmitters did not include a temperature sensor so an archival temperature logger 

(Thermochron iButton model DS1922L; Embedded Data Systems, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky) 

was attached to one end of the transmitter prior to tagging using methods described in Donaldson 
6 

and others (2009). The archival temperature logger had an outside diameter of 17 mm that made 

gastric implantation difficult for fish with fork lengths <45 cm. In some cases, the temperature 

logger was removed from the transmitter at the time of tagging to facilitate gastric implantation 

of the transmitter (table 2).

Fish Monitoring Array

A total of 12 fixed monitoring sites were established to detect tagged fish moving within 

the study area. All monitoring sites contained radio telemetry equipment and were located

downstream from Roza Dam on the Yakima River and downstream from Priest Rapids Dam on 

the Columbia River (fig. 2). Monitoring sites on the Yakima River were located in the tailrace of 

Roza Dam (rkm 205.8), at Sunnyside Dam (rkm 167.0), at the confluence of Marion Drain and 

the Yakima River just downstream from the Highway 223 bridge near Granger, Washington 

(rkm 132.6), at Prosser Dam (rkm 75.5), at the confluence of Spring and Snipes Creeks and the 

Yakima River (rkm 67.1), at Chandler Outfall (rkm 57.6), at the confluence of Corral Creek and 

the Yakima River (rkm 53.9), at Wanawish Dam (rkm 29.0), and at the I-182 Bridge (rkm 7.5). 

Monitoring sites on the Columbia River were located at Jackson Creek Fish Camp 4 km 

downstream from Priest Rapids Dam (rkm 635.0), 6 km upstream from the confluence of the 

Yakima and Columbia Rivers (rkm 546), and at the Highway 395 Bridge in Kennewick, 

Washington (rkm 532). Sites in the Yakima River were operated continuously from June 21 to 

November 6, 2019, except for the site at Chandler Power Plant, which operated from June 26 to 

November 6, 2019. Sites in the Columbia River were operated continuously from July 24 to 

October 28, 2019, except for the site located 6 km upstream from the Yakima River mouth, 

which was operated from July 1 to October 28, 2019. 

Mobile tracking was conducted to collect additional information on the locations of 

tagged fish in the study area. A vehicle was used to slowly drive along the river, where feasible, 

while monitoring for the presence of tagged fish. In the lower Yakima River and Columbia 

River, we used a boat to mobile track. When a tagged fish was observed, the date, time, and 

Global Positioning System location of the detection location was recorded. Mobile tracking was 

conducted 1–4 times per month during the period in which tagged fish were monitored in the 

study area. 

Data Analysis

Detection records from fixed monitoring sites were merged with tagging and release 

records to create a preliminary dataset. The preliminary dataset was then integrated with mobile 

tracking records to create a draft dataset that was proofed using an automated program to remove 

non-valid detection records. Records were determined to be non-valid if:

• They occurred prior to release, 

• The signal strength was less than the 90th percentile of the signal strength of detections 

of tag identification codes that were not released during the study (noise), 

• There were less than three consecutive detections at a given monitoring station 

(consecutive detections had to be 60 seconds or less apart), and

• It was impossible for the detection to occur geographically (for example, detections at 

separate locations with timestamps that would have exceeded the swimming capability of 

the fish).
7 

These criteria were used in the automated program to remove non-valid detection records from 

the dataset containing actual detections of study fish. The auto-proofed dataset was then 

manually reviewed to confirm that the autoproofing process was successful and to verify that the 

dataset could be considered final for analysis. This final dataset was used for all data queries and 

analyses presented in this report.

Environmental Conditions

We used data collected at existing flow gages in the Yakima River to describe water 

temperature and river flow patterns that occurred during the study. Daily water temperature data 

from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage located at the Van Giesen Bridge in 

Richland, Washington (about rkm 13.5; USGS streamgage number 12511800) were downloaded 

for the June 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 time period from the following site: 

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/uv/?site_no=12511800&PARAmeter. Daily river flow data 

from the Reclamation streamgage located in the Prosser Dam tailrace (about rkm 75.6) were 

downloaded for the June 1, 2019–October 31, 2019 time period from the following site: 

https://www.usbr.gov/pnbin/yak/webarccsv.pl?station=YRPW&year=2019&month=6&day=1&year=2019&month=10&

day=31&pcode=QD. 

Fish Behavior

We examined the final dataset to describe the behavior of tagged fish that were released 

at Hyde Road and the Yakima River mouth. The percentage of tagged fish that moved upstream 

and arrived at Roza Dam was calculated by dividing the number of fish detected in the tailrace of 

Roza Dam by the number of tagged fish released. We queried detection records to determine if 

there was evidence that fish used cool-water refugia during their migration. To do this, we first 

calculated residence times of tagged fish at known areas of cool water inputs including Spring 

and Snipes Creeks, Chandler Outfall, Corral Creek, and I-182 Bridge sites. Residence times were 

determined by subtracting the time of first detection at each site from the time of last detection at 

that same site. If a fish made multiple trips past a site (a trip is defined as detection at a site after 

being detected at another site or detection at the same site after an absence of detections 

anywhere for greater than 1 hour) then the time spent at the site during the multiple trips was also 

included in the residence time (that is, it was possible for one fish to have multiple trips at a site).

If fish used these sites as cool-water refugia, we would expect to see extended residence times at 

those sites.

Results

Environmental Conditions

Water temperature in the lower Yakima River exceeded 20 °C most days from early June 

to mid-September and exceeded 25 °C during peak periods of this timeframe (fig. 3). River flows 

were about 2,300 ft3

/s on June 1, 2019 and decreased to about 700 ft3/s by mid-June where they 

remained until mid-August (fig. 3). On August 12, 2019, flows peaked at 2,400 ft3

/s and then 

decreased to about 1,000 ft3

/s until early September when they began increasing again and 

peaked at 2,840 ft3

/s on September 20, 2019. River flows exceeded 1,500 ft3/s after October 15, 

2019 (fig. 3).
8 

06-05-19 07-10-19 08-14-19 09-18-19 10-23-19 

River flow, in cubic feet per second

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

0

Water temperature, in degrees Celsius

5

10

15

20

25

30

Figure 3. Graph showing mean daily river flow and water temperature in the lower Yakima River, June 1—

October 31, 2019. Horizontal reference line is located at 20 degrees Celsius for reference.

Fish Behavior

None of the 14 fish released at Hyde Road were detected upstream from Prosser Dam. 

Six of the 14 fish initially moved upstream after release, with the farthest upstream point of 

detection being Wanawish Dam for 4 fish, Corral Creek for 1 fish, and Spring and Snipes Creeks 

for 1 fish. All six fish eventually moved downstream, exited the Yakima River, and were last 

detected in the Columbia River. Seven of the remaining eight fish all moved downstream after 

release and were last detected in the Columbia River. All the tagged fish that moved downstream 

and left the Yakima River passed the I-182 Bridge site during a 6-day period from June 26 to 

July 1, 2019 (fig. 4). One of the 14 fish was never detected. 

Of the 46 fish released at the mouth of the Yakima River, 25 (54 percent) were never 

detected, 9 fish (20 percent) never entered the Yakima River and were last detected in the 

Columbia River upstream from the release point, 4 fish (9 percent) never entered the Yakima 

River and were last detected in the Columbia River downstream from the release point, and 8 

fish (17 percent) entered the Yakima River. The eight fish that entered the Yakima River did so 

from September 9, 2019 to September 21, 2019 as water temperatures were cooling in the lower 

Yakima River (fig. 5).The farthest upstream detection site for the eight fish that entered the 

Yakima River was Wanawish Dam for three fish, Prosser Dam for three fish, and Roza Dam for 

two fish. One of the two fish detected at Roza Dam was last detected at Sunnyside Dam and the 

other fish was collected at the Roza Adult Monitoring Facility. The radio transmitter was

recovered from this fish but it did not have a temperature sensor because the fish was too small at 

the time of tagging. 
9 

Of the combined 60 fish released at Hyde Road and the mouth of the Yakima River, 20 

(33 percent) were detected swimming past potential cool-water refugia sites. Some fish were 

detected swimming past cool-water refugia sites multiple times, resulting in 19 fish making a 

total of 25 trips past I-182 Bridge, 7 fish making a total of 10 trips past Corral Creek, 6 fish 

making a total of 16 trips past Chandler Outfall, and 6 fish making a total of 17 trips past Spring 

and Snipes Creeks. Residence times at I-182 Bridge and Corral Creek were short (median times 

of 8.5 and 6.2 minutes, respectively), compared to longer residence times at Chandler Outfall and 

Spring and Snipes Creeks (median times of 3.6 and 2.3 hours, respectively; fig. 6). On average, 

fish tagged at Prosser Dam spent 28.8 minutes (in late June and early July) near these areas of 

cool-water refugia compared to 3.6 hours (in September and October) for fish tagged at the 

Yakima River mouth.

06-02-19 06-16-19 06-30-19 07-14-19 07-28-19 

Water temperature, in degrees Celsius

18

20

22

24

26

28

Number of fish leaving Yakima River

0

2

4

6

8

10

Figure 4. Graph showing mean daily water temperature (solid line) as measured at the Van Giesen Bridge 

(U.S. Geological Survey streamgage number 12511800) in Richland, June–July 2019, and number of 

tagged sockeye salmon (vertical bars) that moved downstream and were detected on a fixed telemetry site 

near the mouth of the Yakima River, Washington, June 26–July 1, 2019. 
10 

08-19-19 09-02-19 09-16-19 09-30-19 10-14-19 

Water temperature, in degrees Celsius

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

Number of fish entering Yakima River

0

1

2

3

4

5

Figure 5. Graph showing mean daily water temperature (solid line) as measured at the Van Giesen Bridge 

(U.S. Geological Survey streamgage number 12511800) in Richland, August–October 2019, and number of 

tagged sockeye salmon (vertical bars) that entered the Yakima River and were detected on a fixed 

telemetry site near the mouth, Washington, September 9–21, 2019. 
11 

Residence time, in hours

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

n=10 n=25

n=16

n=17

Spring and

Snipes Creeks

Chandler

Outfall

Corral

Creek

I-182

Bridge

Figure 6. Graph showing residence time of radio-tagged adult sockeye salmon at potential cool-water 

refugia sites on the lower Yakima River, Washington. Multiple trips of fish are included, and total number of 

trips (n) are shown above the data points for each site. 

Discussion

This study empirically monitored a limited number of adult sockeye salmon in the lower 

Yakima River, which adds to a growing body of research on water temperature conditions and 

potential effects on migratory fish downstream from Prosser Dam during summer and early-fall 

months. Water temperature commonly exceeds 20 °C in the lower Yakima River during summer 

and early fall (Appel and others, 2011), which is a critical threshold for Pacific salmon species 

(McCullough and others, 2001). Although these temperatures are likely to be uninhabitable for 

juvenile and adult life stages of Pacific salmon, there are distinct areas within the lower Yakima 

River where cool-water inputs exist (Appel and others 2011). Additional research is underway to 

provide new information on the temporal and spatial extent of these areas (Marcella Appel, 

Benton Conservation District, oral commun. 2019). Studies that describe fish behavior during 

summer and early-fall months provide important data for resource managers to determine the 

importance of these cool-water inputs. Part of the outmigration period for juvenile steelhead, 

coho salmon, and summer-run and fall-run Chinook salmon occurs in the lower Yakima River 

during May and June each year when water temperature is increasing. The upstream migration 

period for adult summer-run and fall-run Chinook salmon, and sockeye salmon occurs during 

July–October each year, which is when water temperature peaks, and then gradually decreases to 

<20 °C. Thus, these areas of cool-water inputs are potentially important for multiple species and 

life stages that use the lower Yakima River as a migration corridor. Our study was designed to 

determine how water temperature affected migration patterns of adult sockeye salmon in the 

lower Yakima River, and to determine if tagged fish used known areas of cool-water inputs. 
12

We determined that adult sockeye salmon collected and tagged at Prosser Dam and 

released into the lower Yakima River in late June moved downstream and out of the river shortly 

after release as water temperature increased in the system. Water temperature in the lower 

Yakima River ranged from 21 to 23 °C on tagging dates at Prosser Dam, and remained >20 °C 

for nearly 3 months thereafter. None of the fish that left the Yakima River subsequently reentered the river, which indicates that they either selected another river for spawning or died. 

This result was troubling because these fish were collected while migrating upstream at Prosser 

Dam and were presumably of Yakima River-origin. Additionally, detections at monitoring sites 

located at known areas of cool-water refugia in the reach between Prosser Dam and the Yakima 

River mouth indicated that tagged fish moved quickly past these sites, rather than holding near 

them in late June and early July.

The effort to collect and tag fish at the Yakima River mouth allowed us to monitor the 

behavior of a limited number of tagged fish (eight fish) that eventually entered the river when 

water temperature cooled in September 2019. We determined that most of these fish (six out of 

eight fish) remained downstream from Prosser Dam, whereas two fish moved upstream and were 

detected at Roza Dam. Only one of these fish was eventually collected and transported upstream 

to Cle Elum Reservoir. Detections of tagged fish near known areas of cool-water refugia during 

fall months showed that fish spent more time (average = 3.6 hours) at these locations in 

September and October than in late June and early July (average = 18.9 minutes). Our study was

designed to provide data on temperature use by tagged fish because many of the transmitters 

included temperature monitoring devices. However, we were unable to collect any of these 

devices because only one fish returned to Roza Dam and the locations of the remaining fish in 

the Yakima River were in areas where tag recovery was not possible. Additional research will be 

required to better understand temperature-use patterns by adult sockeye salmon in the lower 

Yakima River.

Fish that failed to enter the Yakima River after release at the Yakima River mouth 

eventually moved upstream or downstream in the Columbia River, or were never detected. This 

suggests that these fish selected another river for spawning, migrated in deep water where their 

radio transmitter was unlikely to be detected (Kuechle and Kuechle, 2012), or died. Post-season 

analysis of passive integrated transponder (PIT)-tag detections of adult summer Chinook salmon 

that were tagged in the Yakima River as juveniles showed that many fish were last detected in 

the upper Columbia River or Snake River (Mark Johnston, Yakama Nation Fisheries, oral 

commun., December 2019) during 2019. This suggests that elevated summer water temperature, 

which lasted for about 3 months in the lower Yakima River, prevented fish from entering the 

river during a critical migration period and eventually forced them to look elsewhere for 

spawning areas.

Summary

The behavior of a limited number of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) was 

observed in the lower Yakima River, Washington, during 2019 to assess fish responses to water 

temperature in the system. A group of fish were tagged and released in the river in late June and 

these fish moved downstream and left the river shortly after release when water temperatures

were in the 21–23 degree Celsius (°C) range. A second group of fish were tagged and released at 

the Yakima River mouth in late July and a subset of these fish eventually entered the river after 

water temperature decreased to <20 °C in September. Two of these fish eventually moved 

upstream to Roza Dam, but most fish remained in the river downstream from Prosser Dam. 
13

Tagged fish detected near known areas of cool-water refugia spent more time at these locations 

during fall months than in summer months. Additional research is recommended to assess these 

relations in subsequent years to better understand how these patterns vary on an annual basis.

Acknowledgments

Yakama Nation Fisheries provided labor, fish transport, and tagging support during the 

study. We also appreciate the efforts of Eric McCrea, Thor Ostrom, TJ Hester, Dan Charboneau, 

George Pressler, Paul Meyer, Mark Bove, Phil Moytka, Ryan Kilbury, John Merk, Joe Jancovic, 

Craig Nelson, Chris Tannahil, Ryan Ollero, Jeff Jones, Eric Jones, Teddy Schmitt, Ryan 

Thompson, and Cory Scott who served as volunteer anglers to collect adult sockeye salmon that 

were tagged and released at the mouth of the Yakima River. The Washington State Department 

of Ecology was a partner on this study, and we appreciate their involvement.

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Publishing support provided by the U.S. Geological Survey

Science Publishing Network, Tacoma Publishing Service Center

For more information concerning the research in this report, contact the

Director, Western Fisheries Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey

6505 NE 65th Street

Seattle, Washington 98115-5016

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/wfrc
ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201033 

Kock and Others—Evaluation of Water Temperature Effects on Adult Sockeye Salmon Behavior, Yakima River, Washington, 2019—Open-File Report 2020-1033