ISSU News & Views - Idaho Steelhead and Salmon Unlimited - Idaho Fishing - Anadromous Fish

News & Views
November, 1999

News & Views
Contents
Science Is In
Best Run in Years
Salmon Science
Politicians
Congressmen Urge Clinton
ISSU Explains Terns
Kings of Port Alberni
Salmon Recovery Helps
SOS Sums Up
Boise Banquet
Supporters
Books

Science is in: Bypass the Dams

Urgency is Critical

Executive Director's Message:
Best Run in Years Coming

By Mitch Sanchotena

It seems all we hear about in the news is that another stock of salmon or steelhead have been listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act, or at least been proposed for listing. Then there is all the rhetoric surrounding how to save the fish from going extinct. Bought and paid for scientists/biostitute --anyone can buy one of any street corner - working for barge shippers, aluminum companies, waterways, ports, etc. They are saying it's not the dams that are killing the fish, it's fishermen, seagulls, the ocean, or some other dam thing, while on the other hand they are saying we should just build a canal or tube from Idaho to the ocean.

Right! Let's see, if it isn't the dams, why do we need a tube or ditch from Idaho to the ocean? Oh! I know! It's politically correct.

Then there's the one about the lady from NMFS who, it's rumored, was overheard saying, "Because of the high chinook jack counts this summer into the Snake River, chinook are now recovered." She credited the tern and cormorants at the mouth of the Columbia River saying, "It's a good thing all those birds were down there to eat all those hatchery steelhead smolts, so the salmon smolts could survive."

Chinook Jacks
But it is that high number of spring and summer chinook jacks that I want to talk about. And the good run of steelhead we are now seeing coming back to Idaho. This past spring only 38,669 spring chinook adults crossed Bonneville Dam. Out of that, only 3,298 made it over Lower Granite Dam. That was hatchery and wild combined, which made this year's run the third lowest on record. But, 8,610 spring chinook jacks crossed Bonneville Dam and 2,507 crossed Lower Granite Dam. Compare this to the 775, and 109, in 1998 at Bonneville and Lower Granite Dams, respectively. Now throw in the 10-year averages for those two dams, 2,467 and 573, respectively, and you can see why many of us are getting excited about next year.

If you are somewhat new to the anadromous arena, Jacks are immature males that migrate downstream to the ocean, but rather than spending the normal two to four years that the majority of anadromous salmon spend, these guys migrate back to their birth place after spending only one year at sea. Because of this trait, and the fact there is such a small percentage of fish that genetically carry this trait, they have been used by fishery managers and fishermen as a great - and quite accurate - predictor for the following year's run. They give fisheries managers much information about the survival of that age class' migration through the dams, and in the ocean. By comparing this information to jack count trends of the past 50 years, managers, and fishermen, can get some idea of what kind of an adult run will occur next year.

And I can tell you what! Even though you didn't hear it here, get your salmon fishing tackle in order. Next year's run is looking like it could be great. The above jack counts are greater than at anytime since the lower Snake River dams have been in place. Although not quite as good, things are looking good for summer chinook as well. This means that if everything tracks true to course we could be fishing salmon next year right here in good old Idaho. The Clearwater, Little Salmon River, and possibly even the South Fork Salmon River could all be open for chinook salmon fishing. It don't get no better than this, folks!

Steelhead
And, what about this year's steelhead run? Boy, are those things coming, or what? Cliff Hall called me after the opening weekend of chukar season and said they were catching steelhead at Hells Canyon Dam already. The projections look pretty good for A-run and B-run fish this year. The Bonneville Dam steelhead information is as follows: daily count through 9/22: 192,571 - 28% wild. The 10-year average through the same date: 20l,298. Projections for this year's run at Bonneville Dam: Total=198,600. Hatchery A-run = 120,000. Wild A-run = 55,000, this is a big increase over the 5-year average of 27,720. Hatchery B-run = 20,000. Wild B-run = 3,600.

As you know fish count at Bonneville Dam doesn't mean they are all coming to the Snake River. As steelhead and salmon migrate up the Columbia River, the respective stocks for various tributaries turn off. They go into rivers such as the Deschutes and John Day Rivers in Oregon, the Big and Little White Salmon Rivers, the Wind River, and the Klickitat in Washington to name a few. Then there are sport and Indian fisheries that occur on fish as they move upriver. Therefore, to be more accurate in our predictions for Idaho's fishing opportunities, we need to look closer to our own home waters. Lower Granite Dam, the last of the four killer dams constructed on the Lower Snake River, lies only 35 miles downstream from Lewiston and is the final dam that our fish must cross before entering the Clearwater and Salmon Rivers. Predictors there are far more reliable than those at Bonneville Dam, nearly 400 miles away.

Predictors at Lower Granite Dam are as follows: Daily count through 9/22 = 24,956, 18% are wild. The 10-year average through 9/22 = 16,020. The projected 1999 total return is for 90,000 to 100,000. Rough projections for the hatchery components are: Hatchery A-run = 68,100. Hatchery B-run = 12,000.

There you have a thumb-nail sketch of how things are shaping up for the next year. No, it is not recovery by any means. It is a matter of Mother Nature having all of her stars lined up at the same time. I wish I could say it is something that mankind has done to fix the man-made problems we have created, but it isn't. It is a combination of good spring time water flow run-off, El Nino and La Nina being lined up perfectly for salmon survival in the ocean, and cool summer-time water flows in the Columbia River, as well as other natural phenomenon that occur through the natural process.

The Low-End
Even as good as it sounds for the upcoming year, bear in mind it is only half of the low end of what scientists are saying is needed for sustained recovery. Science unanimously agrees that a 2% - 6% smolt to adult survival ratio is needed, instead of being at less than 1% right now. When it appears we are about to have the best salmon run we have had in over two decades, we should be bumping up against that 6% figure; 1% is less than half of where we should be in the worse-case scenario, not the best.

With the system configured as it currently is, Idaho fishermen know where we will end up again when Mother Nature deals us another worse-case scenario - less than 0.02% smolt to adult survival.

I applaud each and every one of you for your commitment and support in making the survival of these fish to and from the ocean better during Mother Nature's worse-case scenarios as well as this year's best-case scenario.

ISSU will not rest until Idaho fishermen are able to fish on sustainable runs of fish every year. I appreciate each one of you and the support you provide.

In the meantime, let's start tying up hooks and egg clusters in hopes of our stars lining up for a salmon season next year.

Tight lines!

Salmon Recover Helps Economy

The following is from the summary of an economic study of salmon fishing in Idaho, funded by the

Idaho Fish & Wildlife Foundation

More than $72 million per year in direct spending.
More than 2,100 full-time Idaho jobs supported by a salmon fishing industry.
700 jobs in Idaho riverside communities such as Riggins, Orofino, Salmon and Challis.