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Snoqualmie vs. Skykomish hatchery steelhead

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Steve Call 
#1 ·
Does anyone know why Reiter chronically has only 1/3 the amount of returning winter hatchery steelhead than the Tokul Creek facility has? The smolt plants are very similar (within 10,000 or so) for the corresponding years (07 & 08).

08/09 - Tokul: 387 Reiter: 123

09/10 - Tokul: 362 Reiter 92

...and the trend continues into the past.

Source: WDFW escapement reports. http://wdfw.wa.gov/hatcheries/escapement/

I don't understand. They're of the same stock. They're both in the Snohomish system. Are there really the same amount of returning fish, only the sky fish just don't make it into the facility? Can the Snoqualmie really be that much more apt for smolt survival? I enjoy fishing the sky because it's gravel bars, runs, and tailouts are more fly-fishing friendly, but playing the odds......Am I missing something?
 
#6 ·
Ok. This makes sense. I guess mentally it's just hard to believe that sport fisherman make that big of a difference, but looking at harvest data, they definitely do. I suppose I always thought that pressure was similar in the two systems. Not many people fly fish the snoqualmie, but there can be heavy sled traffic in the lower river, especially near carnation. And there's always the cluster**** on Tokul Creek.

Yeah, the latest sport harvest numbers are from 03/04. The harvest numbers are about the same for the two rivers, but Tokul Creek received about 6 times as many fish. I guess this indicates that the fish kill on the Skykomish is just more efficient, and that the two rivers really do receive a similar amount of fish.

On the sky in 03/04: 2,500 hatchery fish harvested and 200 fish returned to hatchery facility. Dear lord. And this doesn't even factor in fish caught down in the Snohomish, or non-returned punch cards
 
#7 ·
It may be that the counts of the racks reflect WDFW's brood stock collection priorities. Traditionally the brood stock focus at Reiter has been summer runs and at Tokul Creek winters. In the past it was not uncommon for the trap at Reiter to remain closed during the winter. Segregating the collection of the two brood stocks helps to avoid the mixing of the two.

Tight lines
Curt
 
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