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For spring Chinook, the survival of wild fish may be as much as three or fourfold greater <br />than hatchery fish. For instance, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has estimated <br />wild spring Chinook smolt survival to adult in Marsh Creek at 1.2 percent back to Idaho <br />with good flows at Lower Granite Dam. Rapid River Hatchery spring Chinook salmon on <br />the other hand recorded smolt-to-adult survival of 0.3 percent with good flows at the <br />dams Hatchery returns of 0.3 percent on good flow years and 0.03 on low water years <br />indicates that adequate flows are necessary to enhance upriver stocks. <br />Within the last few years, a number of satellite- fish rearing stations have been <br />established in the Clearwater and Salmon River drainages (both tributaries of the Snake <br />River). These satellite .stations are used for .trapping adults and also for partial rearing <br />of juveniles. Satellite stations are programmed to augment the wild/natural runs present <br />in some of the tributaries. Evaluations on the effectiveness of the satellite stations in <br />Idaho have not been determined, primarily because of the relative newness on the <br />program. However, escapement data and snorkeling counts of yearly fish are being <br />documented. <br />Summer -Supplementation of both spring and summer Chinook salmon is a relatively <br />new program in Idaho. Summer Chinook salmon are supplemented primarily on the <br />South Fork of the Salmon River. McCall Hatchery, which started releasing summer <br />Chinook smolts to the South Fork in 1980, has produced significant numbers of smolts. <br />The goal of that facility is 1 million smolts per year. During 1988 and 1989 1,060,400 <br />and 975,000 summer Chinook smolts were released into the South Fork from McCall Fish <br />Hatchery. The program in the South Fork entails a weir on the stream where the adults <br />are trapped and eggs are taken. One-third of the fish are taken for hatchery production <br />and the other two-thirds are passed upstream for natural production. Return rates from <br />coded-wire tagged summer Chinook salmon released at McCall Fish Hatchery indicate a <br />smolt-to-adult survival of 0.80 percent for brood year (BY) 1981, 0.44 percent for BY <br />1982, and 0.46 percent for BY 1983 (Herrig 1990). <br />Idaho Department of Fish and Game removed natural barriers to allow passage of adult <br />Chinook salmon to Johnson Creek, a tributary to the East Fork of the Salmon River. <br />Summer Chinook fry were outplanted annually from 1986 to 1989. In the fall of 1889, 15 <br />Chinook redds were counted above the removed barriers. Stocking of Johnson Creek is <br />planned to be continued until natural spawning of adults seed the area adequately. <br />Summary <br />Idaho is working to rebuild runs of summer steelhead, spring and summer Chinook <br />salmon in the Snake River Basin. Some streams are designated wild streams where no <br />SCharlie Petrosky, Tdaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise, Idaho, pers. comm., <br />February, 1990. <br />15 <br />