Nemah, Forks Creeks hatchery numbers stumble
Published 6:11 am Tuesday, September 26, 2023
The salmon fishery in Willapa Bay hit its peak the first week of the month, and now fisherman are turning their attention to its tributaries, including the Naselle and Willapa rivers. The fishery opened on Aug. 1 and, so far, 5,306 anglers have tossed bait into the bay.
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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife sent out a weekly update on Sept. 22, which shows that between Aug. 1 and Sept. 17, approximately 506 wild Chinook salmon impacts have been noted, and approximately five were kept. About 122 native and 333 hatchery coho have also been retained.
In Willapa Bay, WDFW counts returning unmarked salmon as “natural” and gives them the same protections as native wild-spawning fish.
According to the report, the Naselle Hatchery is having the best return this season, including 32 male and 9 female native Chinook that were recruited into and then moved upstream of the hatchery. 799 adult and 44 juvenile hatchery Chinook have “volunteered into the attraction channel” at the hatchery and recruited into the hatchery.
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“To date, there have been 125 Chinook salmon mortalities reported in the Naselle Hatchery,” WDFW Biologist Barbare McClellan said in the weekly update. “There are also 635 adult Chinook on hand at the facility, male and females combined. Chinook spawning at the Naselle River will begin next week.”
Officials have been surveying spawning grounds and estimate that approximately 482 adult Chinook salmon are staging in the Nemah River. They have counted approximately six Chinook redds in the river and 15 carcasses. No spawning or redds have been found in the Naselle River or Willapa River.
“No Chinook salmon have recruited into the [hatcheries],” McClellan said regarding the Nemah and Forks Creek Hatcheries.
None of the hatcheries are on track to reach their preseason Chinook spawning numbers.