Mass Marking of Hatchery Chinook & Coho 2008

Juvenile Chinook, steelhead and coho salmon were mass marked, by means of an adipose fin clip, at WDFW and tribal hatchery facilities. Mass marking these fish provided for the protection of ESA listed salmon populations through selective harvest of hatchery fish, protection of natural-origin and ESA listed fish, broodstock management of integrated and segregated hatchery production and increased accuracy of natural-origin stock assessments, status and trends.

This project mass marked approximately 11.0 million juvenile Chinook and coho at tribal hatchery facilities on Puget Sound and the Washington Coast. This project mass marked approximately 1.4 million juvenile spring Chinook and steelhead and 3.7 million juvenile coho at WDFW Mitchell Act hatchery facilities. In addition, 450,000 Klickitat Up-River Bright Fall Chinook were adipose fin clipped and coded wire tagged at the Yakama Tribes Klickitat Hatchery. Finally, this project mass-marked approximately 13 million juvenile fall Chinook at lower Columbia River hatcheries.

The goal of the project is to reduce sources of wild salmon mortality related to hatchery production by identifying the hatchery fish with an adipose fin-clip. The objective of the project is to reduce wild salmon mortality as a result of fisheries conducted on mixed strong and weak stocks. In addition, mass marked fish allow for broodstock management of integrated and segregated hatchery production and increased accuracy of natural-origin stock assessments, status and trends