CONTENTS Introduction Intensively Monitored Watersheds Smolt/Adult Monitoring Skagit River Lake Washington Green River Deschutes Hood Canal Dungeness Grays Harbor Lower Columbia River Wenatchee River Trapping Gear Publications Data Salmonscape

Smolt/Adult Monitoring: Deschutes River Location: At the south end of Puget Sound, near the mouth of the Deschutes River, at Tumwater Falls Park, Tumwater, Washington. History: Prior to the construction of three fishways in 1954, the falls at the mouth of the river presented a complete barrier to fish passage.  To support commercial and recreational fisheries, the (then) Washington Department of Fisheries began planting hatchery chinook and coho into the Deschutes system in 1946, and from 1949-1953, returning adults were trapped at the entrance to Capitol Lake and transported to a release point above the falls to spawn naturally. Steelhead trout have been planted into the river since 1933, and cutthroat trout were planted from 1933 through 1980.  The coho and cutthroat runs are currently sustained by natural production in the river. In 1961, two large adult holding ponds were built at the upstream end of the uppermost fishway to retain migrating adult chinook for enumeration and egg collection.  The WSPE began enumerating returning adult coho and evaluating coho smolt production from this system in 1976.  Methods: The downstream-migrant trap is positioned at the base of the lower falls, in an area of high velocity, providing sufficient flow and depth for trap operation.  WDFW used a scoop trap from 1977 through 1990.  This trap was replaced with an 8-ft diameter screw trap in 1991, which we continue to operate.  From 1977 through 2000, the trap was fished from dusk through dawn each night throughout the April to mid-June trapping season, except during large hatchery releases or high flow events. In 2001, we expanded our trapping season from February through the end of June to incorporate chinook evaluation.  Trap operation was extended to 24-hours day to assess chinook production.  Captured wild coho smolts are coded-wire tagged before release. Adult trapping begins in September, when the first chinook arrives, and continues through the coho run (late-December).  All fish are captured in the holding ponds.  Coho are examined for coded-wire tags, and tags are removed from a portion of the recovered fish.  After counting and sampling, all species are released into the river through the bypass chutes, except for a portion of chinook required to meet hatchery needs. The ability to capture 100% of returning adults (and thus, the coded-wire tags) enables us to accurately measure smolt-to-adult survival, and to assess the environmental factors affecting wild salmon populations in South Puget Sound. Available Publications & Data: 2002 Index Watershed Salmon Recovery Monitoring Report

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