Atlantic Salmon in the NW ????

blackdog · 06-04-2001, 02:24 PM

I just got done with my initial flipping through all the pages of the latest 'Northwest Flyfishing Magazine' and one news brief stood out and should concern all of us. It had to do with adult Atlantic Salmon being found in rivers in B.C. and maybe Washington (it was late when I read it), spawning in the same waters that our native steelhead should be in. Of particluar danger to steelhead due to the similarities in timing of runs, preferred water types, and competition for food in estuaries due to same length of time spent in fresh water. The article hinted the only reason this hasn't already become a huge issue is that on the other side is the multi-million dollar net-pen fish farming industry. How long before we're all catching Atlantic steelhead?

hawgcatcher · 06-04-2001, 02:40 PM

I hate to see new fish introduced to our waters to compete with our present fish. They have enough problems with getting from smolt to adult without competing with a new species. However, the way we are loosing our fish, we may need lots more fish of all kinds to be able to catch them and take home for a meal once in a while. When they start closing our hatcheries, we won't have clipped fish to harvest, every one will be a native and will have to be released.

Oh well we have sufficient numbers of carp still available. We will just have to rename them (yellow Salmon)and find new recipies to use on them. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

In truth, I wonder what our biologists think about when they make these changes. Could they be members of Peta in disguise? [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Jigman · 06-04-2001, 02:46 PM

We've been catching Atlantics in the Green river for years, in fact the state record fish is from the Green.....and they all are escapees from net pens. I have to think that they could become a problem.

THE REEL HEY_YALL · 06-04-2001, 03:02 PM

Before we go jumping around on this issue, are you sure these fish that escape can even spawn? Most of the fish that I know that can compete with a native species, that is private industry, are triploid fish that cannot reproduce. However, I imagine the fish could be both, depending on how or what they are bred to be. I think if these private farmers of fish go into business, the fish should all be triploid just to protect the native fish, besides, the fish grow larger and faster.

06-04-2001, 07:32 PM

Good point Yall! ya little redneck shiite [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] No one can give a firm opinion on whether hatchery fish can escape and spawn with the wild runs...a lot of opinions out there.Years ago the WDFW introduced "Cherry" salmon into the Washougal and I saw them moving through the river with summer steelhead. Cherry salmon are an Asian variety and as you can see now they didn't adapt and disappeared. Do we really need these Atlantic Salmon in our rivers? I think not!
Stew

SuperT · 06-04-2001, 09:25 PM

From what I read a couple of years ago, all of the Atlantic salmon were introduced accidentally or through sabotage of the net pens. The pens were for raising the salmon strictly for market sales. I know the Green has an actual run now, and I've heard of several streams in the Bremerton area starting to get returns due to incidents 2 years in a row in the inlet there. When the fish first escaped, WDFW decided on a 6 fish limit with no size restrictions. I think the total number of fish that escaped was estimated at around 300,000. Obviously not all were caught and there are several small streams around there that are pretty much ignored and may end up with some decent runs in them. Only time will tell if they'll stick around or if they get weeded out. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

smilesforu · 06-04-2001, 10:14 PM

Biologists in BC discovered smolts from the Atlantic Salmon that had sucessfully spawned in a small stream. Some of our local tribal fisheries are monitoring the downstream smolts in traps at the mouth of several streams. It would be almost impossible to stop them if they do continue to reproduce. One of the biggest concerns of Atlantics in the streams is they grow faster than our native species and would be more dominate in pursuit of food. Biggest impact would be on steelhead due to the similiar spawning cycles. Like most things they start out small. Fifty years from now it could be a huge problem.

sinker · 06-05-2001, 02:16 AM

Man hasn't learned not to mess with Mother Nature. When ya do, she bites back bigtime!! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Hoosier Daddy · 06-05-2001, 07:13 AM

I'm sure most fisheries biologists would like to see net pen raising of Atlantics go away. But it is backed by money and politics. Someone mentioned triploid fish. Yes this can be done, and the fish will be sterile, but the best studies I have seen only came up with around 75% triploid fish produced, leaving 25% as normal, non-sterile fish. There is no way to tell them apart aside from biological samples, and then you would have to do every fish, so I'm sure these are not raised this way. It would be too expensive. In Oregon, we have at least one intentional introduction of Atlantics in a high mountain lake (is it Hosmer?) by our FW Department. But this is a lake with no real outlet, and little danger the buggers will escape. I say remove all limits on those fish in Washington so you can try to eliminate the Atlantic run before it really causes problems. Fish stray, and animals escape pens. Yoink with Ma Nature and she will Yoink you back.

superfly · 06-05-2001, 08:38 AM

Go fish below coulee dam in june and july and you can catch atlantics there that were introduced into rufus woods years ago. Also in the summer of 96 there was a net pen incident on cypress island were extreme tides caused the pen to loose anchor and then got torn apart on the rocks and over 100,000 adults escaped. I just happend to live on whidbey island at that time and heard about it the next day from the local game warden. So a friend and I took my bayrunner up there that day and threw everything we had at them and could not get them to bite, and they were everywhere jumping and swimming by. Finally I saw a local charter guy there doing well so I ran over to him and asked what he was doing. He was throwing hand fulls of gravel into the water to emulate feeding and then the fish would start swarming around and would hit just about anything. We found out that power bait worked the best on about a 2/0 hook.
we decided we had had enough when the boat started sitting lower in the water and that there was no place to stand without stepping on them. We caught 26 that afternoon. Boy do those things fight too! needless to say we were filleting fish for hours once we got home. But I do see these fish being a problem if they can spawn.
Peace Superfly

birdhunter · 06-05-2001, 08:54 AM

Chnookie,
Hosmer is the only Oregon lake I know of with Atlantic Salmon. I do believe that it is a C&R fly-fishing-only lake though (You know, one of those purist ponds). You are totally right about the triploid fish. Not really a very good option. As upset as people get about hatchery fish, I'm kind of surprised there isn't more uproar about non-native pen-raised salmon in direct competion with steelhead.