Elwha River Broodstock Protection and Development

Of the three elwha weeak stocks selected for conservation at the Tribes hatchery, efforts for chum salmon and wild winter steelhead were successful. 55,000 chum salmon eggs were collected, fertilzed and released as smolts or as eyed eggs back to the Elwha River. Smolt releases were also used to calibrate the efficiency of the rotary screw trap on the Elwha River. Wild winter steelhead were colllected in both 2009 and 2010 for use in the tribes captive brood program. The Tribe has now released progeny form this program in two years (2009 and 2010) and has four age classes of breeding adults in the hatchery. Efforts to conserve pink salmon populaitons have not been successful. Outmigrating smolts captured at the rotary screw trap were brought into the hatchery during two different years (2008 and 2010), however the fish did not thrive and died.

Populations of native stocks of Elwha salmon are at critically low levels. Removal of two hydroelectric dams as authorized under the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act is expected in 2012. There is concern that short term impacts associated with dam removal (increased sediment transport) may further erode these populations. The fisheries restoration plan for the project calls for restoration of native populations of all Elwha stocks. This will require maintaining native genetic integrity prior to dam removal. It will also require having enough offspring to reseed habitats isolated above the dams. This project is directly aimed at those efforts.