Session Name: Steelhead
Presentation Title: Klickitat River Steelhead Populations: Adult Abundance, Distribution, and
Hatchery/Wild Interactions from Radio Telemetry and Genetic Investigations
Presenter Name: Joe Zendt
All Authors, affiliations, phone number, email:
Joe Zendt, Yakama Nation Fisheries Program, 509-369-3184, jzendt@ykfp.org
Brady Allen, USGS Columbia River Research Laboratory, 509-538-2299, ballen@usgs.gov
Shane Keep, Yakama Nation Fisheries Program, 509-774-4027, skeep@ykfp.org
Abstract: Steelhead populations in the Klickitat River, a Columbia River tributary in south central
Washington, are part of the ESA-threatened Middle Columbia River steelhead Distinct Population
Segment. Both natural- and hatchery-origin steelhead are present in this subbasin; hatchery releases
come from Skamania Hatchery in southwest Washington.
To date, ongoing genetic monitoring indicates that natural-origin and hatchery-origin steelhead sampled
as adults and juveniles in the Klickitat appear to remain genetically distinct, suggesting low
introgression/interbreeding rates.
Preliminary results of a radio telemetry study, objectives of which included monitoring interactions
between hatchery and wild spawners, indicate that spatial and temporal separation may be largely
responsible for the lack of genetic interactions. For natural-origin steelhead, 45.2% (108 out of 239) of
the tagged fish spawned in the wild; 72% of these fish spawned in the middle or upper mainstem
Klickitat or in tributaries to this portion of the river. For hatchery-origin steelhead, 10.6% (15 out of 142)
of the tagged fish spawned in the wild, and 74% of these fish spawned in the lower mainstem Klickitat or
in tributaries to this river reach. Hatchery- and natural-origin steelhead spawners also appear to be
fairly strongly separated temporally. For hatchery steelhead, observed spawning started as early
November with 75% of the spawning ending by early March. For natural-origin steelhead, 75% of the
spawning started in late March or after, with spawning occurring primarily in April and May.
Near-term future monitoring will include PIT tag arrays with adult and juvenile detection in lower
Klickitat River tributaries where interactions between hatchery and wild steelhead may be most likely.
Ongoing monitoring of adult abundance and distribution, productivity, and genetic characteristics is also
planned for this population, and will be essential in guiding future hatchery evaluations and planning.
Student Presenter?: No
Presentation Type: Oral presentation only.