[ODFW-News] ODFW works to increase steelhead in the Grande Ronde

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
Contact: 	Mary Hoverson (541) 963-2138, Ext. 34	
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (541) 963-6670
	
For Immediate Release	Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003

ODFW and volunteers work to increase fall steelhead
angling opportunities in the Grande Ronde basin

LA GRANDE - Volunteers and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff recently collected 105 adult hatchery steelhead in the lower Grande Ronde River as part of a multi-year pilot project aimed at increasing the number of hatchery steelhead returning in the fall to the Grande Ronde basin. 

Historically, most of the returning wild adult steelhead arrived in the lower Grande Ronde in the fall. Adult hatchery steelhead also begin to arrive in the fall, with the run continuing through March. ODFW biologists selected steelhead returning to the basin early in the run to use as hatchery broodstock in an effort to raise fish more likely to arrive in the fall.

By increasing the numbers of adult hatchery steelhead that return to the river in the fall, ODFW hopes to improve fall steelhead angling, which allows anglers to keep hatchery steelhead only. The department also hopes to reduce the numbers of hatchery steelhead straying into other river systems on their way to the Grande Ronde system.

The fish were collected during a two-week period in October by 35 volunteer anglers. After landing a hatchery steelhead, anglers placed each fish into a tube and laid the tube in shallow, moving water with the nose of the fish facing upstream, and placed a flag on the road to indicate the tube location. ODFW staff then collected the tubed fish each day, injected them with an identifying tag and transported them to Wallowa Hatchery in Enterprise. The fish will stay at the hatchery until they mature and are spawned.

Resulting progeny will be reared as a separate group at Irrigon Hatchery, marked uniquely and released in spring 2005. The first resulting adults will enter the Grande Ronde in fall 2006. Their performance in terms of return timing and straying will be compared with that of existing Wallowa Hatchery stock adults.

Anglers collected 82 fish the first week and 23 the second week, noted ODFW fisheries biologist Bill Knox.

"Fishing the first week, Oct. 13 through 17, was more successful than the following week, due to changes in water levels and temperatures," said Knox. "However, we were very pleased to reach the 100-fish goal in just two weeks."

 "Without the help of the volunteers, it would have been impossible to collect the number of fish we needed," said Brad Smith, ODFW Enterprise District fish biologist. "The success of this project during the next few years will be dependent on the contributions of volunteers. We very much appreciate their help."

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Information and Education Division
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 947-6002