01/08/2022

Wynoochee River/Wynoochee Lets talk WDFW/TCL fish management on this excellent Grays Harbor River..

I've been getting the "trap report" since the middle 80's. There are 3 places that fish are placed when the fish are removed from the trap.

1. Above the Dam, North end of lake...about 4 miles of spawning water, then a fall stop movement

2. Above the man made small dam to the base of Wynoochee Dam, about 2 miles of river, used for spawning of Chinook, Coho and steelhead

3. Lake Aberdeen hatchery, used for brood stock

Trap is operated 7 months a year, October 1 - April 30. Fish that show at the trap are, Chinook, Wild Coho (no hatchery WDFW Choice), wild and hatchery steelhead and some summer run steelhead.

I'll use 2020 - 2021 for this posting

Coho, adult..................656, placed above Dam Jack 21......Above Dam
Coho, adult ...................53, between dams
Chinook, 1 above Dam....29 between dams

Steelhead, Native/wild.......72 above Dam, 57 Lake Aberdeen Hatchery
Steelhead Hatchery...........559 above the dam, 166 Lake Aberdeen Hatchery

Recycled Steelhead.....57, don't know what these are

No way for the adult fish to get past the Wynoochee Lake Dam, so all steelhead and salmon die. Also spawning area 4 miles, for 656 Coho and 631 steelhead.

Any smolt out go, have to go thru the dam.....depends on who you talk to, different smolt kill numbers.

Tacoma City Light does their job....trucking fish above dams. WDFW uses fish from the trap to be used as brood.

Many sportsmen don't think ANY wild steelhead should be trucked above the dam. problem is what to do with them?????