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Adult Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Behavior and Movement from Roza Dam to Cle Elum Dam, Washington, 2018

Open-File Report 2019-1053
Prepared in cooperation with the Yakama Nation, Bureau of Reclamation, and Washington State Department of Ecology
By: , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191053

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Abstract

An evaluation was conducted to describe adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) upstream movement patterns from Roza Dam to Cle Elum Dam in the Yakima Basin, Washington. Sockeye salmon adults that arrive at Roza Dam are currently trapped and transported upstream of Cle Elum Dam because upstream fish-passage facilities are not currently in place at the dam. However, these facilities are being designed, so resource managers wanted to confirm that sockeye salmon could successfully move upstream through the Roza Dam-to-Cle Elum Dam reach. A total of 20 adult sockeye salmon were collected, tagged with a radio transmitter, and released at Roza Dam during July 2018. These fish were monitored using a series of fixed monitoring sites and mobile tracking for 2 months. All tagged sockeye salmon successfully moved upstream and were detected in the tailrace of Cle Elum Dam. Median elapsed time from release at Roza Dam to first detection at Cle Elum Dam was 17 days (d) and ranged from 7 to 30 d. We examined migration delay at the Town Ditch diversion dam by comparing elapsed time of detection at that site to elapsed time of detection at other sites in the study area. We found that median elapsed time at the Town Ditch site (19.7 hours) was substantially higher than median elapsed time at other sites (1.7 hours or less). This suggests that tagged sockeye salmon were delayed at the diversion dam. However, most tagged fish (75 percent) arrived at Cle Elum Dam within 20 d of release, and all fish arrived within 30 d, which suggests that delay at the diversion dam may be of little consequence. Our results suggest that adult sockeye salmon can readily migrate upstream from Roza Dam to Cle Elum Dam.

Suggested Citation

Kock, T.J., Evans, S.D., Ekstrom, B.K., and Hansen, A.C., 2019, Adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) behavior and movement from Roza Dam to Cle Elum Dam, Washington, 2018: Open-File Report 2019-1053, 8 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191053.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Acknowledgments
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) behavior and movement from Roza Dam to Cle Elum Dam, Washington, 2018
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2019-1053
DOI 10.3133/ofr20191053
Year Published 2019
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Western Fisheries Research Center
Description iv, 8 p.
Country United States
State Washington
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details