Growth, age, and maturity of coho salmon

Anadromous Fish Conservation Act funds were awarded for the fourth year of the growth, age and maturity study of coho salmon. During each of the first three years, one lot of coho salmon yearlings marked with adipose fin clips and uniquely coded wire tags (CWTs) were stocked in the Root River, Racine County, Wisconsin. The coho salmon were stocked just upstream of our weir facility on the river, the Root River Steelhead Facility (RRSF). In order to reach the vision of a Healthy Great Lakes Ecosystem described in the Strategic Vision of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission for the Decade of the 1990s and to more quickly detect changes in the forage base in Lake Michigan, accurate coho salmon data by age is needed. Unlike other salmon and trout that mature in 2-4 years and then return to spawning facilities, coho salmon only spend two summers in the lake prior to returning to their stocking stream. This study will allow Wisconsin to build a database on growth and maturity by age of coho salmon stocked in the Root River Project: AFC - 23 Grant no. NA16FA2380