FISH FAUNA 



Included in this section are the names of 

 the species taken in the river and data on the 

 general and seasonal distribution and abun- 

 dance of the species. The fish species and 

 estimates of their distribution and abundance 

 are based on a collection of 34,733 fish. The 

 abundant forms in the catches were represented 

 by specimens of all life stages, except for 

 the adults of salmon and Pacific lamprey. 

 The appendix presents the catch per unit of 

 effort and numbers of fish by site and date 

 of sampling. 



Names and Numbers of Families and Species 



Thirty-three species and three hybrids were 

 collected (table 2). Species of fish previously 

 taken from the Yakima River drainage but not 

 collected in this study include: shorthead 

 sculpin, tui chub, burbot, kokanee, the lacus- 

 trine form of sockeye salmon, and white 

 sturgeon. The burbot probably migrated down- 

 Table 2. — Names of fish species and hybrids collected from the main 

 stem of the Yakima River, April 1957 to May 1958 



Family and common ^iflm^ 



Scientific name 



Petronyzontidae: 



Western brook lamprey Lampetra richardsonl 



Pacific lamprey Lampetra tridentata 



Salmonidae: 



Coho Salman Oncorhynchus kisutch 



Chinook salmon 0. tshawytscha 



Mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni 



Cutthroat trout Salmo clarki 



Rainbow trout ( steelhead) S. gairdneri 



Brown trout S. trutta 



Brook trout Salve linus fontinalis 



Dolly Varden S. maljDa 



Cyprinidae: 



Chiselncuth Acrocheilus alutaceus 



Carp Cyprinus carpio 



PeajK)Uth Mylocheilus caurinus 



Northern squawfish Ptvchocheilus oregonensis 



Longnose dace flhinichthys cataractae 



Leopard dace R. falcatus 



Speckled dace R. osculus 



Redside shiner Richardsonius balteatus 



Chiseljnouth x northern squawfish, hybrid 



Speckled dace x redside shiner, hybrid. 



CatostoMdae: 



Bridge lip sucker Catostomus eolumbianiis 



Largescale sucker C. macrocheilus 



Mountain sucker Pantosteus platyrhynchus 



Bridgelip sucker x largescale sucker, 



hybrid 



Ictaluridae; 



Black bullhead Ictalurus me las 



Percopsidae; 



Sand roller Fercopsis transmontana 



Centrarchidae; 



Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus 



Bluegill L. macrochirus 



Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieul 



Largemouth bass M. salmoides 



Black crappie Fomoxis nlgromaculatus 



Percidae; 



Yellow perch Perca flavescens 



Cottidae; 



Prickly sculpin Cottus asper 



Mottled sculpin C. bairdi 



Piute sculpin C. beldingi 



Torrent sculpin C. rhotheus 



stream from reservoirs in the headwaters, 

 and the white sturgeon had probably moved 

 upstream from the Columbia River. Sockeye 

 salmon runs in lakes of the Yakima River 

 drainage were destroyed by the construction 

 of dams on Lakes Keechelus, Kachess, Cle 

 Elum, and Bumping (Naches River system) 

 before 1911. Kokanee in the reservoirs behind 

 these dams produce a few fish that migrate 

 downstream presumably on their way to the 

 sea in the spring. 



The fish fauna of the Yakima River includes 

 28 native species and the following 10 exotic 

 species: brown trout, brook trout, carp, black 

 bullhead, pumpkinseed, bluegill, smallmouth 

 bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, and 

 yellow perch. The native species belong 

 to families: Petromyzontidae, Salmonidae, 

 Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, Percopsidae, and 

 Cottidae. 



From April 8, 1957, to May 20, 1958, the 

 total number of species ranged from 11 at km. 

 72 to 20 at km. 161 and 169 (fig. 7), and the 

 average number per collection at the various 

 sites ranged from 4.7 at km. 72 to 13.1 at 

 km. 217 (fig. 8); the grand average was 8.7. 



The Yakima River seems to have derived 

 its fish fauna from adjacent areas of the 

 Columbia River drainage. Fish native to the 

 Columbia River watershed but not recorded 

 from the Yakima River are: threespine stick- 

 leback, Gasterosteus aculeatus , "'" slimy sculpin, 

 Cottus cognatus , reported by Bailey and Bond 

 ( 1963); and Shoshone sculpin, Cottus greenei , 

 Wood River sculpin, Cottus leiopomus , and 

 margined sculpin, Cottus marginatus , reported 

 by Jordan and Evermann (1898). Species com- 

 mon in the lower Columbia River but absent 

 from the Yakima River are the riffle scul- 

 pin, Cottus gulosus , and reticulate sculpin, 

 C. perplexus (Reimers and Bond, 1967). 



Man's activities, whichhave produced waters 

 warmer than previously in the summer below 

 km. 153, undoubtedly have created new eco- 

 logical niches and destroyed others. Indeed, 

 10 exotic species have been established without 

 great threat to the existence of native species. 



Distribution and Abundance of Fish 



Reported in this section are data on the gen- 

 eral and seasonal distribution and abundance 

 of fish. The part on general distribution and 

 abundance contains information on the total 

 catch during the study, April 8, 1957, to 

 May 20, 1958. The part on seasonal distribution 

 and abundance summarizes data collected 

 during each of seven sampling trips of the 

 study: April 8 to June 20, 1957; July 15 to 

 August 7, 1957; September 18 to October 18, 

 1957; November 12-20, 1957; January 1-21, 

 1958; March 3-20, 1958; and May 12-20, 1958. 



■"■Taken by senior author from Rock Island Dam Reser- 

 voir, March 8, 1963. 



