Spawning Fish Surveys Track Returns, Help Biologists

Every fall on fish-bearing streams all over the Oregon coast, fisheries professionals wade and raft streams counting spawning fish. On Knowles Creek in Mapleton, U.S. Forest Service employees and volunteers have been conducting surveys throughout the entire watershed since 2000. Having taken part in these surveys for the past 5 years, I can tell you there are few other fisheries-related jobs that are as rewarding.

What You’re Looking For
On Knowles Creek, surveyors wade sections from bottom to top, counting live and dead salmon, jacks, redds (nests) and noting other fish observed (such as steelhead and cutthroat trout). Weather conditions, stream levels and visibility are recorded for each stream section, as these factors affect how many and how well fish are seen. Careful observation helps surveyors tell the difference between coho and chinook salmon. Where fish actively spawn also clues surveyors in to what species they’re looking at – chinook prefer lower reaches on Knowles Creek while coho prefer upper reaches and tributaries. Carcasses of dead fish are cut at the tail so they aren’t counted again on future surveys.

Why Surveys Are Useful
Spawning fish surveys are one of the tools used by state and federal fisheries managers to determine run sizes and enact regulations that are in the best interest of the salmon. For instance, poor spawning fish numbers over the past two seasons was a “red flag” to fisheries managers and was a factor in reducing daily and seasonal bag limits for fall chinook on the coast. On Knowles Creek, spawning fish surveys help managers determine the success of habitat restoration projects that were started in the early 1990’s. So, spawning fish surveys, along with data collected at the smolt trap and snorkel surveys help give managers a better idea of freshwater production in Knowles Creek.

Volunteers Welcome
If you’d like to see some spawning fish for yourself, we’re always looking for volunteers to help us complete these surveys. The wading can be physically demanding, but the sites and sounds of Knowles Creek in the winter more than make up for it. Contact Paul Burns, U.S. Forest Service, (541) 902-6953 or call me for more information.

See you on the water,
Action Jackson

(Please send comments or questions to Action Jackson at 268-6944 or www.actionjacksonfishing.com)