Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Program : Lake Whatcom Kokanee Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyi) : Investigations in Lake Roosevelt Annual Report 1999-2000.
Lake Whatcom stock kokanee have been planted in Lake Roosevelt since 1988 with the primary goal of establishing a self-sustaining fishery. Returns of hatchery kokanee to egg collection facilities and recruitment to the creel have been minimal. Therefore, four experiments were conducted to determine the most appropriate release strategy that would increase kokanee returns. The first experiment compared morpholine and non-morpholine imprinted kokanee return rates, the second experiment compared early and middle run Whatcom kokanee, the third experiment compared early and late release dates, and the fourth experiment compared three net pen release strategies: Sherman Creek hatchery vs. Sherman Creek net pens, Colville River net pens vs. Sherman Creek net pens, and upper vs. lower reservoir net pen releases. Each experiment was tested in three ways: (1) returns to Sherman Creek, (2) returns to other tributaries throughout the reservoir, and (3) returns to the creel. Chi-square analysis of hatchery and tributary returns indicated no significant difference between morpholine imprinted and non-imprinted fish, early run fish outperformed middle run fish, early release date outperformed late release fish, and the hatchery outperformed all net pen releases. Hatchery kokanee harvest was estimated at 3,323 fish, which was 33% of the total harvest. Return rates (1998 = 0.52%) of Whatcom kokanee were low indicating an overall low performance that could be caused by high entrainment, predation, and precocity. A kokanee stock native to the upper Columbia, as opposed to the coastal Whatcom stock, may perform better in Lake Roosevelt.
- Research Organization:
- Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Portland, OR (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- 94BI32148
- OSTI ID:
- 961876
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/BP-32148-11; R&D Project: 1994-043-00; TRN: US200915%%324
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: From the cover page: "Contributions to Fisheries Management in Eastern Washington State Number 1." Date of this document July 2001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Program; Meadow Creek vs. Lake Whatcom Stock Kokanee Salmon Investigations in Lake Roosevelt, 2001 Annual Report.
Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Program : Meadow Creek vs. Lake Whatcom Stock Kokanee Salmon Investigations in Lake Roosevelt Annual Report 2000-2001.