This goes out to anyone living on a creek that has salmon returning. Last year Kitsap county and the DFW decided that they must put a new Salmon frendly culvert that is on the road that drains into creek on my property the fish had know problems for the last 20 years. Well guess what my place flooded out twice and all the Salmon fry that are in the creek are not able to return to the lake and are starting to DIE. Do you think any of them will admit that they did anything wrong. Nope, so beware if they want to replace culverts on your property or near your property.

Lincod I agree with you culverts should only be replaced if they BLOCK access to spawning areas. I know of a culvert that they did an absolutely wonderful job replacing but that culvert for years had been a barrier to hatchery steelhead. Now the hatchery fish can get up there to spawn with wild fish.

Lingcod,
Which creek?

I have seen alot of over zelous culvert work done as of late in this county.I have to shake my head as I drive by and wonder what they are thinking/I think,personaly that the culverts will do more for the searun cuttys than the silvers but it will be interesting.

Most of the bad culverts that need to be replaced are up on old logging roads. Most of the streams only spawn a coupld pairs of winter steelhead a piece but there are thousands of suck blockages meaning a loss of tens of thousands of wild steelhead.If there is one thing we have learned about habitat restoration.That is If you build it they will come...

Guys-
There are thousands of fish blocking culverts throughout Washington. While many are on logging systems there also huge numbers on State, County and Town roads as well as private roads and driveways. While most of these are small streams, in some cases even dry part of the year collective they are very important to our fish stocks. LtlCLEO is correct the major fish users of these small streams are coho and cutthroat. For ever steelhead that uses these streams there typically therer are dozens or hundreds of cutthroat and coho.

When looking at culvert blockages the tendency is to focus oon whether returing adults can get upstream. It can be equally important that small fish can move upstream. Cutthroat, steelhead, and coho all move upstream in the late fall and winter to find safe habitat in which to spend the winter out of way flooding harm. Often this can be upstream of spawning areas. This means the culverts must be placed so that small 2 ot 3 inch fish can swim through them.

Robert - the fact that hatchery fish gained access to water because a normal natural condition was restored is not a problem with fixing culverts but another issue. Restoring fish populations means restoring nautral processes. If that creates other problems then lets deal with them.

Some set backs or problems must not stop us from attempting to restore these small stream habitats. We have lost much of the historical resource a small piece at a time and must reclaim it in equally small steps.

Tight lines
Smalma

Well said Smalma, I could not agree more.

Lingcod, where is this stream that you talk about, I live in Bremerton too and would like to know where this culvert is. I have helped identify many problem culverts and would like to see one that may not work.
Thanks,

NEN

Salama i had abslutely no intention of suggesting that we not fix culverts. Just happens that this one culvert removal which happens to be un the upper reaches of a small creek should not have been replaces becaouse dozens of hatchery strays use it and it typicallt only has a pair or two of wild fish. Which incidentally spawned above the culvert where i never in 15 years encountered a hatchery steelhead.

Excellent point about coho and cutties

If you build it they will come

Growing up I would spend my summer vacations either on the beach casting for cuttys or I would ride my bike to varrios small creeks in the bremerton erea.The memories of the fish that I would see spawning in these little creeks still amazes me.Brought home a 22 inch searun cutty,showed it to my dad and he had to see the creek i caught it at.I will always remember the look on his face when he looked down at a creek a grown man could step across.To a ten year old it was perefect.I have always been a firm believer that development on these small little creeks took a big bite out of the silver population over all.Watched it happen to all but a couple of my childhood haunts.

I have also seen what smalma is refering to on the tahuya system.I have seen silvers spawning in little tribs that do not even have water in them right now.

I have a group of beaver ponds that I am hoping will see some searun cuttys again thanks to these new culverts!