Research related to transportation of juvenile salmonids on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, 2002

Since 1995, the National Marine Fisheries Service has PIT-tagged Snake River yearling chinook salmon and steelhead smolts arriving at Lower Granite Dam to evaluate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ smolt transportation program. In 2000 we revised the study protocol to better reflect the experience of wild composite populations migrating in the river. In 2001, we began transportation evaluations of Snake River hatchery subyearling (fall) chinook tagged at Lyons Ferry Hatchery and Columbia River wild and hatchery subyearling chinook salmon tagged at McNary Dam. In 2002, evaluations began for Columbia River hatchery yearling chinook salmon. Here we report results from 2002 studies on each of these populations. Contract no. E86960099