Distribution and Abundance of Fish in the Yakima River, Wash., 



April 1957 to May 1958 



By 



BENJAMIN G. PATTEN, RICHARD B. THOMPSON, and 

 WILLIAM D. GRONLUND, Fishery Biologists 



Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory 

 Seattle, Wash. 98102 



ABSTRACT 



Fish were collected from the main stem (lower 281 km.) of the river at 2-month 

 intervals. Native fish consisted of six families, with 23 species and three hybrids; 

 exotic fish consisted of five families with 10 species. The water temperature from 

 the mouth of the river to 145 km. upstream was high in summer conapared with the 

 stretch between km. 153 and 281. Eleven species were taken principally from the 

 lower 145 km. of the river; Mother species were taken mostly from the upper area. 

 The greatest numbers of fish were collected from the mouth to km. 64 and from km. 

 120 to 177. These abundances coincided with centers of abundance of the families 

 Cyprinidae and Catostomidae. Centrarchids were abundant below km. 97, and Cot- 

 tidae and Salmonidae were most abundant above km. 161, The fewest fish were col- 

 lected between km. 72 and 89, possibly because of slow current, high summer tem- 

 peratures, and a muddy bottom. Seasonal distribution and abundance of each species 

 are discussed. Although cyprinids and catostomids were the most abundant fish, 

 salmon (genus Oncorhynchus) and trout (genus Salmo) are the most valuable to nnan. 

 Trout and juvenile salmon were most common fronn km. 153 to 281. 



INTRODUCTION 



The Columbia River drains an extensive area 

 in the Pacific Northwest. Its waters are eco- 

 nomically innportant for electric power (hydro- 

 electric and nuclear plants), agricultural, and 

 fishery uses. Many species of fish are abund- 

 ant in the drainage and some species, es- 

 pecially salmon, Oncorhynchus spp., support 

 important commercial and sport fisheries. 

 Little is known, however, of the interrelations 

 of the fish of the Columbia River system. This 

 paper contributes to such knowledge by de- 

 scribing the distribution and abundance of 

 fish in a large inland tributary, the Yakima 

 River. 



The Yakima River once was an important 

 nursery for fall and spring chinook salmon, 

 O. tshawytscha , and coho salmon, O. kisutch, 

 and is now noted for its sport fishery for 

 rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, and mountain 

 whitefish, Prosopium williamsoni . The historic 

 Indian fishery for salmon was also substantial, 

 A decline in the nunribers of salmon returning 

 to the Yakima River, first noted by Gilbert 

 and Evermann (1894), was attributed to man's 

 activities. Indeed, O'Malley (1928) reported 



that unscreened irrigation diversions were 

 responsible for mass destruction of the 

 species. The number of adult salmon entering 

 the Yakima River has been steadily declining 

 in recent years as shown by counts at the 

 Roza Dam near Yakima. Many of the young 

 salmon are lost at dams on their seaward 

 migration (Schoeneman, Pressey, and Junge, 

 1961), and an intensive fishery on adult fish 

 in the ocean and lower Columbia River re- 

 duces the return. The adult fish returning to 

 the Yakima River from the sea are too few to 

 support the Indian fishery and to nnaintain the 

 stock. 



The purpose of this paper is to contribute 

 to knowledge on the disti^'ibution and abundance 

 of fish in the part of the Yakima River used by 

 salmon (lower 281 km,), on the effect of water 

 temperature and velocity on their distribution, 

 and on fish that reside with juvenile salmon. 

 Such information leads to a better under stand- 

 ing of elements of the environment that affect 

 the production of young salmon in some tribu- 

 taries of the Columbia River. This study 

 compliments information by Reimers and Bond 

 (1967) on the distribution of fish in the drainage 

 of the lower Columbia River, 



