Biological Opinions - Bureau of Reclamation

mainstem Klamath and Trinity rivers, and production focuses on Chinook and coho salmon, and
steelhead. The Trinity River Hatchery annually releases approximately 4.3 million Chinook
salmon, 0.5 million coho salmon and 0.8 million steelhead. The IGH annually releases
approximately 6.0 million Chinook salmon, 75,000 coho salmon and 200,000 steelhead.
Together, these two hatcheries annually release a total of approximately 11,875,000 hatchery
salmonids into the Klamath Basin.
Of the 6 million Chinook salmon that are released from the IGH, about 5.1 million are released
as smolts from mid-May through early June and about 900,000 are released as yearlings from
mid-October through November. The 75,000 coho salmon and the 200,000 steelhead trout are
released as yearlings after March 15 th each spring. Prior to 2001, all of the Chinook salmon
smolts were released after June 1 of each year. However, beginning in 2001, the CDFW began
implementing an early release strategy in response to recommendations provided by the Joint
Hatchery Review Committee (CDFG and NMFS 2001). The Joint Hatchery Review Committee
stated that the current smolt release times (June 1 to June 15) often coincides with a reduction in
the flow of water released by Reclamation into the Klamath River, and that this reduction in
flows also coincides with a deterioration of water quality and reduces the rearing and migration
habitat available for both natural and hatchery reared fish. In response to these concerns the
CDFW proposed an Early Release Strategy and Cooperative Monitoring Program in April of
2001 (CDFG 2001). The goals of implementing the early release strategy are to:
1. Improve the survival of hatchery released fall Chinook salmon smolts from IGH to the
commercial, tribal, and sport fisheries.
2. Reduce the potential for competition between hatchery and natural salmonid populations
for habitats in the Klamath River, particularly for limited cold water refugia habitat
downstream of IGD.
As a result, the release strategy was modified to allow for proportionate releases of Chinook
salmon smolts to occur earlier in May provided these smolts reach a size of about 90 fish/lbs.
Although these management strategies are intended to reduce impacts to wild salmonids, some
negative interactions between hatchery and wild populations likely still persist through
competition between hatchery and natural fish for food and resources, especially limited space
and resources in thermal refugia important during summer months (McMichael et al. 1997,
Fleming et al. 2000, Kostow et al. 2003, Kostow and Zhou 2006). The peak emigration timing
of coho salmon yearlings produced in the Shasta River occur during the month of April which is
consistent with release timing of coho salmon and steelhead trout yearlings from IGH, but is well
before the release timing of hatchery produced Chinook salmon smolts from IGH (Daniels et al.
2011). Emigration of coho salmon yearlings from the Scott River has been shown to occur over
a much longer period of time with peak emigration numbers occurring anytime between March
and early June (Daniels et al. 2011).
The exact effects on juvenile coho salmon from competition and displacement in the Klamath
River from the annual release of 5,000,000 hatchery-reared Chinook salmon smolts from IGH
are not known and likely vary between years depending on hydrologic and habitat conditions
present. The hatchery releases of yearling coho salmon (75,000 fish) and steelhead trout
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