13 



The commercial fishery landed 40,000 

 pounds of buffalofish, 5,500 pounds of carp, 

 and 2,500 pounds of carpsuckers in Septem- 

 ber. Most were taken by hoop net in the 

 North Dakota waters of Oahe Reservoir. 



Oregon 



WILLAMETTE CHINOOK SET RECORD 



Fish Commission biologists reported a 

 record count of fall chinook in the Willamet- 

 te River and its principal tributaries above 

 Willamette Falls. A BCF-funded count show- 

 ed more than 1,000 fall chinook above the 

 Falls at Oregon City from August 2 9 to Octo- 

 ber 7. There were only an estimated 200 fish 

 in 1965, fewer in previous years, including a 

 low of 9 in 1960. The count was especially 

 significant because, historically, there has 

 been no appreciable run of fall chinook in 

 this area. 



:/fi 5lc ^e i'fi i\: 



COHO CATCH IN COLUMBIA 

 IS BEST SINCE 1929 



The best catch of coho salmon, at least 

 since 1929, in the Columbia River late fall 

 commercial fishery was recorded this year, 

 the Fish Commission announced. 



As the season on the Columbia closed Oc- 

 tober 27, the catch was near 4\ million 

 pounds. The coho fishery on Youngs Bay, 

 which enters the Columbia below Astoria, 

 continued until October 31. Youngs Bay 

 catches are included in Columbia's landing 

 reports. Catches there during the final week 

 of fishing boosted total to about 4i million 

 pounds. 



Operation Coho Transplant Underway 



For the third consecutive year. Fish Com- 

 mission hatcheries are being swamped with 

 more coho than they need. The Commission 

 plans to transfer up to 50,000 surplus adult 

 coho from the hatcheries to suitable streams. 

 More than 60,000 were transplanted during 

 the first 2 years: 1964 and 1965. 



Generally, the fish are being released in- 

 to streams that do not support coho runs but 

 potentially can; streams with recent clear- 



ance projects or fishways completed; and in 

 streams above impassable falls that have 

 fishways scheduled for construction. Adult 

 coho are hauled to other waters only after the 

 hatcheries' needs of about 35,000,000 eggs 

 are satisfied, and sufficient fish have escaped 

 beyond the hatcheries to use the natural spawn- 

 ing areas. 



In addition to Operation Coho Transplant, 

 the Commission will furnish other state and 

 Federal agencies with at least 12,000,000 

 coho eggs. After yet another excellent year 

 for sport and commercial fishermen, the tre- 

 mendous number of available fish points to a 

 bright future for the coho fishery. 



:{c 3l« 5!« sj: Si's 



SEEKS TO ESTABLISH SOCKEYE 



The Fish Commission has begun an exper- 

 imental program, BCF financed, to stimulate 

 the sockeye salmon fishery. The program is 

 initially set up on a two-year basis at $20,000 

 per year. 



Juvenile sockeye, released into reservoirs, 

 will be studied for survival, growth, competi- 

 tion with other fish, food habits, distribution, 

 length of stay, and how successfully they leave 

 the reservoirs. The future of the experiment 

 will be based upon the findings. 



Sockeye have to stay in fresh water lakes 

 for at least one year before migrating to the 

 sea. Although Oregon streams with accessi- 

 ble lakes in the headwaters are few, it is 

 hoped the reservoirs will replace the lakes 

 needed under natural conditions. Fish for the 

 new program will be obtained from the 

 1,000,000 sockeye eggs recently received 

 from the Canadian Department of Fisheries. 

 It was decided to use fish from the British 

 Columbia area because its sockeye are al- 

 most fifty percent larger than Columbia Riv- 

 er sockeye. Fish from the Adams River runs 

 will be used because they migrate at about 

 the time when conditions in the Willamette 

 System are best. 



The fish will be reared at the Fish Com- 

 mission's Ox Bow Hatchery and released as 

 fingerlings into Cougar Reservoir on the 

 South Fork of the McKenzie River, and into 

 North Fork Reservoir on the Clackamas. At 

 present, biologists are investigating several 

 other reservoirs throughout the state, princi- 

 pally in the Willamette Basin, to see if they 



