Elwha River Brood Stock Protection and Development

During 2005-06, the tribe collected 50,000 chum eggs from native Elwha River stock. The egss were fertilized and raised in the hatchery to the eyed stage. Eyed eggs were outplanted into spring fed side-channels of the Elwha River using hatch boxes. Each hatch box holds 1000 eggs in individual cells. The boxes were buried in suitable gravels in simulated redds. In the spring of 2006 we collected 1200 wild winter steelhead by redd pumping. Newly hatched alevins were brought into the tribes hatchery and raised as captive brood stock. At ~60 mm lenght each fish was measured, weighed, sampled for DNA and given a unique PIT tag. These fish will be raised until 4 years of age and then spawned.

We hope to increase the number of returning chum salmon adults, increase the number of habitats currently utilized for spawning, and maintain the locally adapted stock through the anticipated high sediment period following dam removal. For steelhead we hope to develop the remaining locally adopted stock for use in restoration following removal of the dams. This stock is planned to replace the current non-native (Chambers Creek) stock used in the basom.