Hope it produces positive results!

https://www.kuow.org/stories/good-ocean-conditions-could-be-good-news-for-salmon-noaa-says

models trend to over predict on declining returns.

February 2, 2022
Contact: Fish Program, 360-902-2700
Public Affairs contact: Eryn Couch, 360-890-6604
WDFW to kick off coastal steelhead management long-term planning with Feb. 17 Ad-hoc Coastal Steelhead Advisory Group online meeting
Public invited to attend first in series of 2022 Ad-hoc Coastal Steelhead Advisory Group meetings
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today the first meeting of its 12-member Ad-hoc Coastal Steelhead Advisory Group, which will help inform the development of a long-term management strategy for coastal steelhead as required by the Washington Legislature in the 2021-23 budget.
The proviso will outline WDFW’s approach to managing steelhead fisheries for each river system of Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and coastal Olympic Peninsula. The Department will submit that plan to the Legislature by the end of 2022.
“Representing a cross-section of coastal steelhead guides, research scientists, sport anglers, business owners, environmentalists, and others who are committed to coastal steelhead recovery, this advisory group is a critical part of the Department’s work to help protect steelhead all along the coast,” said Kelly Cunningham, director of WDFW’s Fish Program. “We’re looking forward to kicking off our work together and the added opportunities for public feedback that this long-term management planning process will provide.”
The virtual advisory group meeting, scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17, will include discussion of the proviso, a briefing on the advisory group process, and the status of steelhead in coastal watersheds. While meetings will focus on member discussion, meeting agendas will include time for public comment. Refer to the Ad-Hoc Coastal Steelhead Advisory Group web page for additional meeting details.
This ad-hoc advisory group is one component of extensive public engagement the Department has implemented regarding ongoing coastal steelhead management. For more information about coastal steelhead in Washington, and for other ways to share feedback as part of the annual season-setting process, visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/management/steelhead/coastal.
For more information about the Ad-hoc Coastal Steelhead Advisory Group, including a member roster, upcoming meeting details and meeting materials, visit wdfw.wa.gov/about/advisory/csag.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect, and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish, wildlife, and recreational and commercial opportunities.

Remember when fishing was good and meetings were few.

Kinda.

Good thing I took Grip N Grins, as I'm afraid all we will have left of good fishing are memories.

I have way too many meetings and it's been a long while since I've been on any sort of good steelhead fishing.

Correct. Likewise, models tend to under predict on increasing returns. Which is where we are now. The runs are increasing but the models haven't caught up yet.

02/03/2022

WDFW "Dog and Pony Show"--Coastal Native Steelhead, this is a follow up to the WDFW "Dog and Pony Show"--Salmon, Willapa Bay.

The WDFW players from the Willapa fiasco, have retired or moved on to other positions in the vast network of the State WDFW agency....but fear not, the Coastal Native Steelhead has new players to try and convince the sports fishers, that there is a workable plan to increase the dwindling populations of Wild Coastal Steelhead.

The following was part of a WDFW email received 02/03/2022

WDFW to kick off coastal steelhead management long-term planning with Feb. 17 Ad-hoc Coastal Steelhead Advisory Group online meeting

Public invited to attend first in series of 2022 Ad-hoc Coastal Steelhead Advisory Group meetings

Well damn!

February 3, 2022
Contact: Fish Program, 360-902-2700
Public Affairs contact: Eryn Couch, 360-890-6604
State to implement additional safeguards following equipment failure, some steelhead losses at Lyons Ferry Hatchery

OLYMPIA – Hatchery crews at Lyons Ferry Hatchery in Columbia County detected a loss of roughly 249,770 steelhead smolts late last week due to an equipment failure that allowed smolts to escape a rearing pond and make their way into the mainstem Snake River.
Hatchery staff are pursuing better-engineered equipment and will implement increased equipment checks going forward to prevent a similar loss in the future.

This loss accounts for about 64 percent of Lyons Ferry Hatchery’s Wallowa stock summer steelhead production for release in 2022 but less than 8 percent of the overall hatchery steelhead production in the Snake River basin.

Staff became aware of a failure in a rotating screen system and rubber gasket meant to retain fish within a rearing pond when they lowered the water level in late January to collect fish for transport to Cottonwood Acclimation Pond on the Grande Ronde River. “We share a deep concern alongside anglers and community members for the loss of these steelhead smolts,” said Chris Donley, WDFW’s Eastern Region fishery manager. “We remain committed to pursuing improved equipment and shifting to more frequent servicing to safeguard from equipment failures like this one going forward.”

The gasket, which operates under about 6 feet of water and isn’t readily visible without drawing down the rearing pond, was found to have deteriorated, leaving a 1.5-inch gap between the pond outlet and the rotating screen. Fish opportunistically used this gap to escape the rearing pond into the Snake River. Prior routine assessments to the rotating screen and gasket area didn’t indicate equipment failure or any fish losses. The failed gasket was serviced annually and had been newly installed in August 2021 prior to watering up the pond and populating it with steelhead fingerlings.

The loss of these smolts will likely be undetectable in adult harvest in the mainstem Columbia River and Snake River mixed-stock steelhead fisheries, due to the large number of fish released from facilities above Lower Granite dam and elsewhere in the basin. However, catch and harvest reductions will be detectable in the Touchet River and possibly in the Grande Ronde River, especially in the terminal areas around the acclimation pond release sites.

On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, hatchery staff transported the remaining 135,230 Wallowa stock steelhead smolts to the Cottonwood Acclimation Pond. These fish will be acclimated there for the remainder of the winter and released into the Grande Ronde River in April. The majority of these smolts will spend one year in the ocean and return to the Columbia basin as adult steelhead in summer or fall of 2023. Fishery managers estimate that the Cottonwood Acclimation Pond release will be 90,000 smolts short of program goals. There will be no Wallowa stock steelhead smolt releases at Dayton Acclimation Pond, or on-station at Lyons Ferry in Spring 2022.

Given current freshwater migratory and ocean survival rates, WDFW fishery managers estimate that enough fish will return to the Grande Ronde River Cottonwood Creek adult trap in spring 2024 to ensure a full egg take. If insufficient numbers of fish return to the trap, WDFW plans to coordinate with Oregon to pursue additional Wallowa stock brood from Oregon facilities farther south in the Grande Ronde basin.
The department operates 80 hatcheries across Washington and raises about 5 million steelhead smolts annually.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.

At least they didn't die in the hatchery. Questions:
-What are the chances of survival in the Snake until smolting?
-Were these fingerlings to small to be clipped?
-Will we ever know the results of this escape, good or bad?

These are likely pre-smolts. They were set to migrate this spring. Given the manner in which steelhead are raised in the hatchery, they were likely already of good size. In my experience, they left the pond because they were smolting. We trapped wild coho smolts (12", age 1) that were leaving the system on Valentine's Day.

These fish, if they in fact volitionally left, may end up having higher survival rates than if they had been forcibly retained until May.

The press release does indicate these were 'smolts', so it appears they were either ready to go, or close to it. I agree that their survival rates may be similar to other smolt releases in the Snake Basin.

However, there is no spill on the Snake or Columbia dams until early April, so the only route of passage before April is the turbines. Which is why they prefer to hold fish in the hatchery, or at the acclimation site, until spill begins.

Ideally, they were already clipped, but it doesn't say.

Well, the turbine trip will suck. But holding fish past when they physiologically want to got is bad.

We occasionally found coho in August that for some reason didn't smolt and leave. They looked pathetic and likely contributed their nutrients to the stream later on.

Oops. My bad. The bypass units are operating so the fish could be screened out and sent thru the outfall. As such, they would avoid the turbines. The screens are normally removed during the winter for cleaning and repairs, but they are usually re-installed by March.

Some hatcheries release their production volitionally. They just open the gate, and let the smolts leave when they want. Not sure which hatcheries operate with a volitional release, but some do.