CONTRIBUTION OF 1960-63 BROOD HATCHERY-REARED 



SOCKEYE SALMON, ONCORHYNCHUS NERKA, TO 



THE COLUMBIA RIVER COMMERCIAL FISHERY 



Roy J. Wahle, Reino O. Koski, and Robert Z. Smith' 



ABSTRACT 



A 4-yr marking program was conducted at Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Leavenworth, 

 Wash., to determine the contribution of hatchery sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, to the Colum- 

 bia River commercial fisheries and the economic feasibility of hatchery rearing of sockeye salmon. The 

 study involved 1960 through 1963 brood-year fish. During the 4-vr period, 1961-64, a total of 11.5 

 million fish were released, of which 3.4 million were marked by the removal of the adipose fin and part 

 ofoneof the maxillary bones — the right maxillary for 1960 and 1962 broods and the left maxillary for 

 196 1 and 1963 broods. Trapping at the lake outlet in the spring for the first 2 yr indicated that less than 

 50^f of the stocked fingerlings migrated. In 1964-67. recovery of marks from thecommercial fishery on 

 the Columbia below and the Indian fishery above Bonneville Dam showed that an average of 13.6% of 

 the sockeye salmon catch was composed offish raised at Leavenworth Hatchery. Adjusting for effects of 

 marking, this represents an average fishery value per brood of $4,274.75. The average potential 

 benefit/cost ratio for the 4 yr of the program was 0.04 to 1. Because preliminary data indicated such a 

 low benefit/cost ratio, sockeye salmon rearing at Leavenworth was radically decreased in 1966 and 

 terminated in 1969. 



In the 1930's Grand Coulee Dam was constructed 

 on the upper Columbia River, thus barring anad- 

 romous fish runs from 1,835 km of spawning and 

 rearing area. The extreme height of the dam ( 106 

 m) precluded building passage facilities for both 

 upstream and downstream migrants. To preserve 

 the runs formerly utilizing the upper basin, a relo- 

 cation of runs of affected species became neces- 

 sary. 



Basic data on existing fish populations were ob- 

 tained from 1933 through the time of dam comple- 

 tion in 1941 (Fish and Hanavan 1948). The only 

 relocation areas suitable for spawning and rearing 

 were Columbia River tributaries below Grand 

 Coulee Dam and above Rock Island Dam. The area 

 was less than one-half the extent of that formerly 

 available and on streams which, because of in- 

 dustrial diversion, were for the most part inacces- 

 sible to migrating fish. Because of general deple- 

 tion of all the upriver salmonid runs, correction of 

 fish passage problems was already underway in 

 many areas. With the impetus of the relocation 

 program, further rehabilitation was ac- 

 complished. 



'Environmental and Technical Services Division. National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 811 N.E. Oregon, Portland, 

 OR 97208. 



Manuscript accepted September 1978. 

 FISHERY BULLETIN VOL. 77, NO 1, 1979. 



The sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, was 

 seriously affected by the habitat changes as its 

 development required a lake-stream environment 

 which has been almost completely eliminated. 

 Annual commercial catches of Columbia River 

 sockeye salmon ranged from '/2 to 2 million kg 

 prior to 1900 (Gangmark and Fulton 1952). From 

 then through the early 1920's annual catches var- 

 ied from about 'a million to over 1 million kg. 

 Following one more good year in 1926, the V2 mil- 

 lion kg figure was never again reached (Figure 1). 



Estimates of escapement beyond the fishery 

 were not possible until enumeration of migrating 

 adults began in 1933 at Rock Island Dam, 755 km 

 above the mouth of the Columbia River. An aver- 

 age of about 19,000 adults was counted annually 

 until 1 94 1 , when only 949 adults passed upstream. 

 The low escapement was caused by a large com- 

 mercial catch, low flows, and retention of water 

 behind Grand Coulee Dam (Fish and Hanavan 

 1948). 



The relocation of runs began in 1939 for sockeye 

 salmon as well as chinook salmon, O. tshawytscha: 

 coho salmon, O. kisutch; and steelhead trout, 

 Salmo gairdneri . Adult sockeye salmon were 

 trapped at Rock Island Dam and were transported 

 by tank trucks to the Wenatchee and Okanogan 



229 



