cowlitz die off

This article was in the Dec/Jan issue of the "Out Door life" 2005


Steelhead Doom

Smolt deaths at the Cowlitz hatchery have jeopardized the fishery

Southwest Washington anglers will be competing for severely reduced numbers of steelhead for the next three years, thanks to a series of mechanical and biological setbacks in the Cowlitz River Trout Hatchery.
Tacoma Power and Light-which operates two fish-rearing facilities on this Columbia River tributary- recently confirmed that several hundred thousand summer and winter steelhead smolts were killed in 2002, 2003, and 2004 due to “mechanical malfunctions” in the hatchery’s 50-acre steelhead rearing ponds. In at least two cases, according to Friends of the Cowlitz, a watershed conservation organization, the facility’s ozone treatment system was operated incorrectly, exposing thousands of juvenile steelhead to fatal disease. The ultimate result: the return classes of 2005, 2006, and 2007 will be almost 40 percent below production goals, a shortage of between 1 and 1.25 million summer and winter fish.
The impact on the Cowlitz fishery is already being felt. “This summer was the worst steelhead fishing I’ve ever seen on the Cowlitz,” said Clancy Holt, president of the Southwest Washington Guides Association and 30-year veteran of the Columbia system. “The fish just weren’t there. That hatchery has all but killed one of the best steelhead fisheries in the west.”

Boy that's no lie. It has been a tough winter run.

Oh now its a mechnical malfunction . Ok who is accouantable for this ? Nobody they will just point fingers and we will get the dirty end of the stick

ANy body Hit the cowlitz today ?? Report

Well then how do you explain this?

http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/fish/harvest/04-05/smolts.htm

Is this a true story?

How could anyone but the State screw up for three years running????

Nah, you're pulling my leg.

That is a true story that i heard last summer then OUT Door life had this article.... BOYS ITS TRUE

The WDF and tacaoma city light are in bed together . Does it seem funny to anyone else that fishng just happened to drop after the Tacoma City light dam leases were signed

boy if at my job I screwed the pooch that bad i would be looking for a new job,if i was even able to keep my license. need to get a state job.

Went to the Barrier tackle store yesterday for the boat drawing which, of course, I didn't win.

While I was there someone mentioned that FOC was sueing the Blue Ck hatchery for something. Wonder if this is it?

Blue Creek today from 0400 to 1400 total about 7 fish. I didn't touch anything.

Thats slow any body fishin up the creek???

Ok who won the boat

I spoke with a hatchery worker tonight and he said that all the comments made in “Out Door Life” were false …. I’m not sure what to think I know the guy a little and he is a guide he seems to think that the fish wont decline …seems to me that they already have.? What do u guys think..

Ive been hitting the Cow at least once a week with 2-4 rods onboard. It his been dead!

I see fish getting caught, but it isn't the Cowlitz of the last 5 years. I see the bankers walking out with fish here and there and the boaters are catching a few, very few. My sled has only bonked one. Lost a few and realeased a dark summer run.

The anglers that are going 3 for 6, your the exception this year. You know its bad when the guides are coming in with clients grumbling.

Fished it yesterday and in a word slooow. We went o fer and so did a lot of guides too. Only boat that I know of that had any success was an old board member here DCRZFITTR (Chris), they had 3 in the boat when I talked with him. Other than that we saw a handfull caught. That river should be rockin' right now.

I remember something about fish losses but couldn't find anything in the WDFW press releases. I did find this release on the Cowlitz mitigation plan from August 2000.
******************


August 11, 2000
Contact: Hal Beecher, (360) 902-2421


Cowlitz mitigation plan finalized with Tacoma City Light


In a unique collaborative process, a dozen state and federal resource agencies, conservation groups, The Yakama Tribe and the City of Tacoma have negotiated a comprehensive mitigation plan which focuses on the restoration of wild fish on the Cowlitz River watershed while ensuring continuing opportunities for sustainable fisheries now and in the future, the Washington Department of Fish Wildlife (WDFW) reported.

The settlement agreement is expected to fulfill requirements by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing of the Cowlitz River Hydroelectric Project operated by the City of Tacoma Public Works Department.

WDFW Director Dr. Jeff Koenings called the agreement a good deal for the resources and the river. "We've worked through this collaborative process to come up with a framework agreement that allows us the flexibility to create effective management plans.

"Now the real work begins," Koenings said. "All the groups and agencies that helped guide this process need to come to the table and continue to work together to develop the specific management plans required in the settlement agreement. Through this agreement and the work ahead, WDFW's ultimate goals to restore wild salmon and to provide opportunities for fishers can become a reality."

The agreement is a commitment by all signature parties to ecosystem improvements, wild salmon recovery and significant improvements to hatchery practices in the Cowlitz basin. The agreement:


Requires Tacoma City Light to construct fish passage upon successful recovery of anadromous fish in the Tilton River above Mayfield Dam and spring chinook or late winter steelhead in the upper Cowlitz River above Mossyrock and Cowlitz Falls dams.
Provides for the continued annual rearing of 50,000 pounds of resident fish annually from the trout facility.
Provides for the continued rearing of early winter steelhead and summer steehead as part of the 650,000 pounds of fish to be produced at the salmon hatchery under the terms of the license.
Requires Tacoma City Light to establish a $3 million habitat restoration and enhancement fund.
Requires Tacoma to remodel the Cowlitz hatchery complex, establish satellite facilities in the upper watershed and improve the existing hatchery disease problems.
Emphasizes changes in hatchery operations to produce fish under conditions that mimic natural conditions as much as possible. This will help to increase survival of juvenile fish, thereby increasing the mitigation effectiveness of the hatcheries.
Emphasizes and reinforces the 1993 wildlife mitigation agreement and provides additional recreation improvements for all users.
The agreement also establishes the state Department of Fish and Wildlife as the primary hatchery operator at least through 2008 and provides for a process to negotiate changes under the lead of the Department of Fish and Wildlife when wild fish are restored in the upper watershed and the Endangered Species Act is no longer an issue on the Cowlitz.

"This unique agreement addresses each of the so-called "four Hs" involved in salmon recovery – hatchery reform, habitat improvements, harvest changes and hydropower operations," Koenings added. "This shows we can work together to achieve common goals with a diversity of ideas."

to the best of my recollection the boat was won by Dale Wallace and there was comment that he is a local (I'm not positive about any of this)

My own unscientific creel count was about two fish for every three boats on Saturday.

Around four years ago the long time hatchery manager retired. I think his retirement had something to do with the hatchery production decline. He was one dedicated employee who paid attention to the resource.

Last year I read parts of the Cowlitz management plan (takes a whole lot of time to figure out it's one of those zillion page adobe downloads), and the way I understand it, the wild salmon people didn't want so many steelhead on the Cowlitz. They said the steelhead numbers had a negative impact on the chinook and coho. They did three separate impact studies (1 no hatchery steelhead, 2 reduce the numbers or 3 keep the numbers reared the same) and a judge decided on #2 that they would decrease the steelhead numbers. Did anyone else read it and see it that way?

Does anyone know why the kings at the state elwha hatchery are dying off?? i went by a couple days ago and saw about 200 dead ones, its a sad thing too that run was starting to get really big the last couple years

There are some endemic diseases in the Elwha watershed. There are three different diseases impacting the fish at the hatchery. One or two are treatable and one isn't. I don't remember the names of the diseases. It happens every year. A good reason for not moving fish between watersheds....

Gee, it's a good thing that we weren't able to fish them...might have put some to good use.