SALMON RUNS - UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER, 1956-57 



by 



R. R. French and R. J. Wahle 



ABSTRACT 



Important runs of salmon pass Rocky Reach Dann site on the 

 Columbia River. The escapement of chinook salmon past Rocky 

 Reach in 1957 was estimated to be approximately 11,000 spring 

 chinook which spawn in the small remote tributaries and 6,000 

 summer chinook which spawn in the large tributaries of the Columbia 

 River. 



Blueback salmon passing Rocky Reach Dam site in 1956 and 1957 

 accounted for approximately 72 and 60 percent of the escapement 

 passing Rock Island Dam, or about 67,000 fish in 1956 and 43,000 

 fish in 1957. They spawn in the Okanogan River in Canada. The rate 

 of travel of blueback salmon was 13.5 miles per day. 



INTRODUCTION 



Upon the comipletion of Grand Cou- 

 lee Daxn in 1938, anadromous fish runs 

 were blocked from about 1,140 lineal 

 miles of spawning and rearing areas 

 above the dam (Fish and Hanavan, 

 1948). At that time anadromous fish 

 were transplanted to the tributaries 

 between Rock Island and Grand Coulee 

 Dams. These tributaries and the Co- 

 lumbia River between Chief Joseph 

 and Rock Island Dams, totaling about 

 340 lineal miles of stream, now provide 

 the spawning and rearing areas for 

 anadromous runs passing Rock Island 

 Dzim (fig. 1). 



Note.--R, R. French and R, J. Wahle, Fishery Re- 

 search Biologists, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. 

 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Seanle, Wasliington. 



Chelan County Public Utility Dis- 

 trict No. lis engaged in the construc- 

 tion of Rocky Reach Dam located ap- 

 proximately 21 miles aboveRock Island 

 Dam. This dam poses problems for 

 passing anadromous fish runs upstream 

 and downstream and for maintaining 

 adequate spawning areas if major 

 spawning areas are eliminated by flood 

 waters of the forebay. The Fish and 

 Wildlife Service agreed to provide basic 

 biological information on the present 

 salmon escapements of chinook salmon 

 (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), blueback sadm- 

 on (Oncorhynchus nerka), silver salmon 

 (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and the steelhead 

 trout (Salmo gairdneri). S tudi e s on the 

 steelhead were limited to examination 

 of their abundance and times of arrival 

 at Rock Island Dam. This basic 



