Klickitat Rearing Troughs

Three fiber glass rearing troughs (fig1.) were constructed by Reiff Manufactures in Walla Walla, WA and delivered to the Klickitat Hatchery on February 8th, 2002. Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) hatchery personnel fabricated aluminum 1/8 mess screens for each trough. Troughs were plumbed into the existing water supply and available to receive steelhead fry in mid February. A portion of the 300,000 steelhead eggs (130,000) were placed in the three troughs and reared for 140 days, before being transferred back to the WDFW Ringold Salmon Hatchery at 400/lb. The project was a success and acquisition of the troughs will provide benefits for salmon aquaculture at the Klickitat Hatchery for many years to come. The immediate short-term benefits of reducing water demands and providing improved rearing conditions for fall Chinook and steelhead was realized. With the Yakima Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) scheduled to transition the Klickitat Hatchery under the YKFP umbrella, the troughs will continue to be used for rearing steelhead fry.

Allows for rearing of 300,000 steelhead fry and will result in reduced flow demands and densities for outside rearing of fall chinook.