Preface
The Hatchery Escapement Report is published annually by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Fish Program/Science Division and is generated directly from the WDFW Adult Report Database. The database contains daily records of adult fish handling activities as reported by hatchery facilities on the Adult Report form via Fish Books. It describes the total escapement, or return of species of salmon and trout, to WDFW facilities and cooperative projects within Washington State. It also enumerates the total number of fish returning to hatchery racks or traps in the rivers and streams of Washington State for the spawning activity cycle beginning in approximately March 2022 and ending in approximately March 2023.
For this report, escapement is defined as the return of spawning fish to hatchery racks or traps. The data for this report are collected from WDFW hatchery staff that enumerates runs of fish returning to their respective streams; these numbers are recorded on adult records, which are entered into an internal hatchery database. These records provide information on run timing, information on the results of selective fisheries, and critical data for coded-wire tag (CWT) analysis. CWT’s are a management tool used to determine the status of runs and the effect of various management strategies and research projects.
Bull trout are a listed species. This report is not a comprehensive record of bull trout found in Washington State by WDFW staff.
The 2022-2023 return year produced 803,124 anadromous and 98,870 resident adult fish returning to hatchery racks and traps for a total adult escapement of 901,994. These returning adults produced an anadromous eggtake of 213,601,526 and a resident eggtake of 30,031,320 for a total eggtake of 243,632,846.
This annual hatchery escapement report is organized and divided into three geographical regions: Puget Sound (including the Straits of Juan de Fuca); Coast; and Columbia River. It is further divided by species and race, or run. For example, Chinook salmon are described in the three geographic regions as well as by their spring, summer, fall and late fall races.