FY 2025 SRSC Salmon Productivity Monitoring including Test Fisheries

This project will conduct various salmon monitoring approaches to determine productivity of Skagit salmon populations to evaluate Skagit Salmon Recovery Goals. While Chinook Salmon and Steelhead are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, Coho Salmon and Chum Salmon have been at historic low abundances over the last decade. This project is a continuation of long-term monitoring of adult fish, including supporting co-managers in other activities that can include both adult and juvenile fish monitoring. Specifically, single-boat test fishery for Chinook Salmon in the lower Skagit River, one day/week from May through August, and a Coho Salmon/Chum Salmon test fishery in the lower Skagit River from August through November. In addition, we will conduct spawn ground surveys (redd and carcass counts) for Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon and Chum Salmon in the upper Skagit River two days a week from September to December. The information generated from this monitoring will be used to estimate in-season changes in run composition, add to long term dataset to evaluate changes in populations status, timing phenology, improve estimates of spawning abundances that improve fisheries management and hatchery practices, and reconstruct fisheries impacts to ensure salmon populations are meeting Recovery Goal objectives (SRSC and WDFW 2005) or managed at sustainable levels (Puget Soung Indian Tribes and WDFW 2022). Further, we will support Skagit co-managers in supporting juvenile surveys (smolt trapping, beach seine or electrofishing).

Test fishery and other information will provide catch per unit effort for each species, associated biological information (i.e. length, sex, tissue samples for genetic stock identification (GSI), otoliths for life history evaluations, total weight by species each day, and scale samples for age determination), origin information based on ad-clip and coded wire tag (CWT); and set specific conditions (gear dimensions, time of set, time fished, tidal stage for each set, weather). The actions from this specific project are combined with efforts by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Upper Skagit Tribe, Swinomish Tribe, and Sauk-Suiattle Tribe to provide a complete evaluation of returning adult salmon in the Skagit River basin. These data have provided evidence-based approaches for salmon management common in the Skagit River basin.