A temporary picket weir is installed in Fish Creek in early March prior to the entry of adult steelhead.  Materials are delivered to the location and weir and associated trap is constructed. Adult steelhead enter a holding box that is checked throughout the day. When adults are present, a trap tender removes them with a net and places them in a large plastic water trough. The trap tender determines the sex of each adult fish based on external characteristics, measures fork length to the nearest cm, scans for the presence of a PIT tag, collects scales, snips a small portion of the anal fin for future DNA analysis, and uses a paper punch to mark the right operculum before releasing the fish upstream of the weir. Hatchery steelhead are transported to the Lochsa River and released without processing. 

 

Steelhead kelts are collected at the weir and checked for a right operculum punch, sex is determined, scanned for PIT tag, and measured for length. If the kelt is alive, the trap tender punches the left operculum, inserts a PIT-tag, and releases the fish downstream of the weir. 

 

The Rapid River trap tender assists hatchery personnel in the operation of the Rapid River adult trap and collects data from wild steelhead as described above for Fish Creek. 

 

Coordinate collection of biological data from adult steelhead handled by IDFG personnel at other hatchery weirs in the upper Salmon River, East Fork Salmon River, Pahsimeroi River, South Fork Salmon River, and Crooked River. 

 

Scale samples will be collected from all wild adult steelhead captured at hatchery weirs and temporary picket weirs. The main purpose of this scale sampling is to support estimation of population productivity by collecting scales with which to assign ages to individuals after the season.  

 

Tissue samples will be collected at hatchery weirs and temporary picket weirs, and through directed sampling (angling or electrofishing) in Salmon and Clearwater River tributaries and will be archived for later analysis.  We will collect DNA tissues from all wild adult steelhead at all weirs. Sampling will be guided by the genetic baseline management plan. Collecting tissue samples supports maintenance of the steelhead genetic baseline. Selected populations will be targeted on a five-year rotation. Some additional field work may be necessary. Genotypes will be determined by project 2010-02-600.

 

Escapement monitoring of wild adult Chinook Salmon in portions of the Salmon River basin is conducted by utilizing existing hatchery adult trapping facilities at the following locations:

 

• South Fork Salmon River (McCall Fish Hatchery satellite facility)

• Pahsimeroi River (at Pahsimeroi Fish Hatchery)

• Upper Salmon River (at Sawtooth Fish Hatchery)

 

Captured adults are measured to the nearest centimeter fork length, examined for marks, scanned for tags, and a tissue sample collected for genetic analyses. Then origin (integrated brood stock, or wild/natural), gender, and age are determined (assigned).  All returning wild/natural fish are released and a portion of integrated brood stock are released upstream of hatchery traps.  All adults passed over a given hatchery trap for natural spawning will be opercle punched to identify these fish as having been handled.  The proportion of marked to unmarked individuals in carcass collections will be used to estimate total escapement where weirs are not 100% effective. All general hatchery production fish collected at traps in study streams will be taken to the hatchery or released downstream of the trapping facility. Tissue samples are collected from adult Chinook salmon released to spawn naturally upstream of hatchery traps.  These samples will be genotyped to quantify production and productivity estimates for natural and general production hatchery strays (where found) or to determine relatedness between natural spawning populations and/or hatchery stocks used in broodstock creation.