81 



Chapter 3: HISTORY AND CURRENT STATUS 

 OF FISH POPULATIONS 



Anadromou8 fish of sport and commercial value using the Chehalis Basin are 

 spring- and fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytsche) , coho salmon 

 (O. klsutch) , chum salmon (0. keta) , winter and summer run steelhead trout 

 (O. myklss), eea-run cutthroat trout (0. claxkj.) , white sturgeon {Aclpenser 

 transmontanus) , green sturgeon (A. medirostris) , and American shad (Aiosa 

 sapxdisslma) . The primary forage fish resources are Northern anchovy 

 (Engraulls mordax) and longfin smelt (Sfcirinchus thaleichtAys} i 



CHINOOK SALMON 



There is a continuum of chinook entry into Chehalis Basin streams from March 

 through December. Chehalis Basin chinook salmon are managed as separate 

 spring and fall runs. Spring chinook return between March 1 and August 31 to 

 the Chehalis Indian net fishery in the vicinity of Oaxville. Fall chinook 

 begin entering the Satsop as early as September and return to other 

 tributaries later. Fall chinook return to the Grays Harbor fisheries after 

 September 1 (Stone, WDF, pers. comm. ) . 



Terminal Area Run Size and Escapenent Coals 



Spring Chinook 



Terminal area run size, that is, 

 escapement plus Chehalis Basin catch, 

 has been sufficient to meet the 

 escapement goal in three of the past 

 five years, although the goal was 

 never met from 1970 to 198S (Table 5; 

 Figure 7) . 



X»71 1*»J l*Ti 1»TT Xt7i lt«l U*J i»tt >»rT !»•» l»tl 



Drastic cutbacks in all fisheries, 

 but particularly the Chehalis tribal 

 fishery, may have contributed to 

 recovery (Deschamps, Chehalis Tribe,; 

 Stone, WDF, pers. comm.). Cyclical 

 improvement in early marine survival 

 since the 1983 El Ki.no event may also 

 be contributing. Despite the overall 

 increase in escapement, Wynoochee 

 spring chinook are thought to be non- 

 existent (Stone, WDF, pers. comm.); they were cited as at high risk of 

 extinction by Nehlsen et al. (1991). 



CHEHALIS SPRING CHINOOK RUN SIZE 



Fifurt 7. <T »li»1it Bins q>rinz chinook silmon termini! irei ran nzc 

 (WDF, unpublished d*U). 



24 



