| A B S T R A C T
Coho Reintroduction in Mid-Columbia Tributaries
| Indigenous
stocks of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch no longer occupy
upper Columbia River basins. Columbia River coho populations were
decimated in the early 1900s. For several reasons, including the construction
and operation of Columbia River hydropower projects, habitat degradation,
harvest management, and hatchery practices, naturally reproducing
coho populations have not been re-established. In 1999, the Yakama
Nation began testing the feasibility of reintroducing coho to the
Wenatchee Basin with specific goals to: 1) determine whether a broodstock
can be developed from lower Columbia coho stocks whose progeny can
survive in increasing numbers to return as adults to the mid-Columbia;
and 2) initiate natural reproduction in areas of low risk to sensitive
species. To date, three generations of broodstock development have
occurred and transfers of lower Columbia River coho have been discontinued.
With feasibility goals met, the reintroduction project is transitioning
its focus towards increasing local adaptation and fitness in the natural
environment while decreasing the domestication selection. Yakama Nation
is attempting to do so through a phased approach, outlined within
our Mid-Columbia Coho Restoration Master Plan, with a long-term vision
of re-establishing coho populations to biologically sustainable levels. |
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