FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 76, NO. 1 



$44,800 respectively. The Grays River value is 

 higher because of a larger contribution to the 

 ocean sport fishery. The costs of rearing were 

 $38,800 at Grays River and $57,800 at Cascade. 

 The benefit to cost ratios were 1.4 to 1 and 0.8 to 1 

 for Grays River and Cascade respectively. 



Klickitat and Big Creek Hatcheries' potential 

 contributions of 1963-brood chinook salmon were 

 valued at $373,200 and $141,400 respectively. 

 The costs of rearing were $32,800 and $33,700 for 

 the two hatcheries respectively. Benefit to cost 

 ratios were 11.4 to 1 for Klickitat Hatchery and 4.2 

 to 1 for Big Creek Hatchery. 



The values of the 1964 brood potential contribu- 

 tions were estimated at $279,300 for Bonneville 

 Hatchery and $108,200 for Little White Salmon 

 National Fish Hatchery. Rearing costs were 

 $81,000 and $99,400 for the respective facilities. 

 The benefit to cost ratios were 3.4 to 1 and 1.1 to 1 

 for Bonneville and Little White respectively. 



Values of potential contributions for all study 

 facilities combined ranged from $1,306,100 for the 

 1962 brood to $5,224,100 for the 1963 brood and 

 averaged $3,006,800. Costs ranged from $659,600 

 to $748,000 for the 1962 and 1961 broods respec- 

 tively. The average rearing costs were $714,900 

 per brood. Benefit to cost ratios ranged from 2.0 to 

 1 (1962 brood) to 7.2 to 1 (1963 brood) and aver- 

 aged 4.2 to 1. 



During the later years of the study, fall chinook 

 salmon carcasses from study hatcheries were sold 

 to commercial processors or donated to various 



institutions and groups. The value of these carcas- 

 ses was determined from the average price paid by 

 commercial processors. The estimated value was 

 $31,467 for the 1963 brood (Arp et al. see footnote 

 4) and $42,000 for the 1964 brood (Wahle et al. see 

 footnote 5). Thus the total value of 1963- and 

 1964-brood study hatchery fall chinook salmon 

 was $5,255,600 and $2,800,000 respectively. 



DISCUSSION 

 Brood Year Comparison 



The 1963-brood Columbia River hatchery fall 

 chinook salmon had the best potential contribu- 

 tion and value to the Pacific coast fisheries (Tables 

 16, 17). The 1963 brood had a potential contribu- 

 tion of 602,900 fish or 10 fall chinook salmon 

 caught for every 1,000 releases and 1.7 fish per 

 pound released. The 1963 brood contribution and 

 catch to release ratios were followed in order by 

 the 1961, 1964, and 1962 broods. The benefit to 

 cost ratios followed a similar pattern, with the best 

 ratio (7.2 to 1) for the 1963 brood followed by the 

 1964, 1961, and 1962 broods. The 1964 brood had a 

 lower potential contribution than the 1961 brood, 

 but a higher benefit to cost ratio because of higher 

 prices paid for salmon when the 1964 brood was in 

 the fisheries. Also total rearing costs for the 1964 

 brood were lower than the 1961 brood because 

 fewer fish were raised. 



The ocean distribution of the fall chinook salm- 

 on for all hatcheries combined was similar for all 



Table 17. — Potential contributions, numbers of smolts released, pounds of smelts 

 released, contribution in fish caught per 1,000 released, and contribution per pound 

 released for each special mark hatchery and all study facilities combined, 1961-64 

 broods. 



202 



