The goal now, Hatcher said, is to figure out how the Yakima returners are different from the lower Columbia fish. Coho spend up to 18 months in fresh water, unlike many salmon species, which emerge from the gravel and head down river in less than a year. Coho return to their streams and spawn in the fall. But when they reach the main stem of the Yakima, they have plenty of battles ahead. Despite the efforts of irrigators and farmers in the valley, the basin still isn't very fish-friendly.
Temperatures often are too high for fish, and sediment chokes the river during irrigation season.
We've been turning many of our rivers into ditches. Copyright 1999 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Back to headlines New Richland school means some students will move By Wendy Culverwell Herald staff writer Richland School Board members will start Tuesday on the politically touchy process of carving boundaries for the district's newest school.