Lyons Ferry Complex Hatchery Evaluation: Summer Steelhead Annual Report 2003 Run Year

This abbreviated annual report is one in a continuing series describing Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) progress toward meeting trout (resident and anadromous) mitigation goals established in the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP). The reporting period covers between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2004. Smolt trapping information for the 2003/2004 migration will be presented in a future report, as population estimates were not completed at time of report printing. In addition, coded-wire tag recoveries/expansions from the summer steelhead sport fishery in the Columbia and Snake river basins will be presented in future reports.

The LSRCP program in Washington State began in 1981 with construction of Lyons Ferry Hatchery (LFH). Refurbishing of the Tucannon Fish Hatchery (TFH) followed in 1984-85. In addition to the hatchery construction and modifications, three remote acclimation ponds (AP) were built along the Tucannon, Touchet, and Grande Ronde rivers to acclimate juvenile summer steelhead before release. All of these facilities make up WDFW’s Lyons Ferry Complex (LFC) (Figure 1).