*U.S. Dept Commerce/NOAA/NMFS/NWFSC/Publications*

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***NOAA NMFS F/NWC-187: Status and Future of Spring Chinook Salmon in the Columbia River Basin—Conservation and Enhancement*
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS Series
**

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, uses the NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS series to issue informal scientific and technical publications when complete formal review and editorial processing are not appropriate or feasible due to time constraints. Documents published in this series may be referenced in the scientific and technical literature. 

The NMFS-NWFSC Technical Memorandum series of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center continues the NMFS-F/NWC series established in 1970 by the Northwest & Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which has since been split into the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The NMFS-AFSC Technical Memorandum series is now being used by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. 

Reference throughout this document to trade names does not imply endorsement by the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA.

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**
This document should be cited as follows: 
**

Park, Donn L. 1990. Status and Future of Spring Chinook Salmon in the Columbia River Basin—Conservation and Enhancement. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS F/NWC-187. 130 p.

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**
This document is available to the public through:
**

National Technical Information ServiceU.S. Department of Commerce5285 Port Royal RoadSpringfield, VA 221611-800-553-8647[email protected]

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**Table of Contents**

Introduction by Donn L. Park

**Session I: Stock Structure and Population Dynamics**

- Sustainable harvest rates for spring chinook salmon in the upper Columbia River Basin  by Reginald R. Reisenbichler   
- Stock structure and gene conservation in Columbia River spring chinook salmon   by Robin S. Waples  
- Effect of mainstern survival rates on spring chinook salmon production  by Willis E. McConnaha  
- An assessment of adult losses, production rates, and escapements for wild spring and summer chinook salmon in the Snake River  by T. C. Bjornn

**Session II: Stock Status and Carrying Capacity**

- Status of Snake River Idaho spring chinook salmon stocks  by Dexter R. Pitman  
- Status of chmook salmon stocks in the Mid-Columbia  by James W. Mullan  
- Estimating spring chinook parr and smolt abundance in wild and natural production areas  by C. E. Petrosky  
- Effects of hatchery broodstock weirs on natural production  by John G. Williams  
- Conversion of weighted usable area to potential fish production in the Yakima River Basin  by J. M. Stempel

**Session III: Hatchery Management Strategies and Supplementation**

- Adult recoveries from releases of subyearling and yearling spring chinook salmon  by W. A. Zaugg, J. E. Bodle, and J. E. Manning  
- Zero-age smolt studies, Mid-Columbia River 1987-89  by Don E. Weitkamp and Robert D. Sullivan  
- Evaluation of outmigration performance and smolt-to-adult survival of subyearling spring chinook salmon smolts  by Richard W. Carmichael and Rhine T. Messmer  
- A review of rearing density experiments: Can hatchery effectiveness be improved?  by J. L. Banks  
- Inbreeding depression, local adaptation, and outhreeding depression in salmon stocks: Some implications for hatchery management  by John M. Emlen  
- Biological manipulation of migratory behavior: The use of advanced photoperiod to accelerate smoltification in yearling chinook salmon  by Albert Giorgi

**Session IV: Habitat Enhancement**

- Expectations for spring chinook salmon population responses to habitat enhancement projects in northeastern Oregon  by Richard W. Carmichael  
- Evaluation of riparian habitat rehabilitation  by William S. Platts

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**INTRODUCTION**

by Donn L. Park

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) sponsored the Spring ChinookSalmon Workshop because we believe urgent changes in priorities am required if ameaningful resurgence of the Columbia River Bm&s once plentiful spring chinooksalmon (*Oncorhynchus tshawytscha*) stocks are to be realized. Others share ourconcern for spring chmook salmon. About a week prior to the workshop we received aletter from the Idaho Chapter of the American Fisheries Society calling for additionalprotection of spring chinook salmon in light of potential endangered species listing.The letter states in part: "The protection of species native to the *Columbia*Riversystem is a fundamental obligation we all share. Species preservation does not'compete' with other uses of the river; it automatically takes precedence over them as areserved right." The letter further states: 'The Chapter regards the potential forextinction of wild chinook salmon with considerable dismay and is actively monitoringthe status of this species within the Snake River watershed. We have notified theRegional Director, NMFS, and other State and Federal agencies (including theBonneville Power Administration) and Indian tribes in the region that we will formallyseek listing of these stocks pursuant to the Endangered Species Act if a materialimprovement in their status is not realized by 1992." Because of perceived mutualconcerns throughout the Basin for spring chmook salmon we chose the theme Statusand Future of Spring Chinook Salmon in the Columbia River Basin-Cowervation andEnhancement.

The upriver stocks of spring chmook salmon have been in a general decline since1970. Outmigrations from the Snake River alone produced approximately 100,000adults annually as recently as 1975. These runs provided so abundance of naturallyspawning fish and a harvestable surplus was used by commercial, tribal, and sportfishing interests. Notable depletion of spring chinook salmon have been cataclysmic insome years. The adult runs in 1979, 1980, and 1984 were approximately 9,000 fishcounted each year at Ice Harbor Dam. Recently, the runs rebounded to more than30,000 fish, only to collapse again in 1989. The fluctuating but low numbers of springchinook salmon returning to Columbia Basin stream prompted the Columbia BasinFish and Wildlife Authority to call for a status report on the stocks. The ensuingreport prepared by the Columbia River fisheries agencies and tribes did not offersubstantive alternatives for improving the runs. It did, however, attempt to explainwhy the run has been depressed and fluctuating.

Time may be running out for restoration of the valuable population of springchinook salmon. We hope that the workshop can be a starting point for a revitalizedrestoration process.

The proceedings of the workshop include an abstract of each speaker's presentationas well as a condensation of the questions and answers that followed each presentation.

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Table of Contents