Methow River Steelhead - Methow River Steelhead hatchery reform research

Steelhead in Pacific Northwest hatcheries are typically reared for release as 1-year-old smolts, rather than the 2¬and 3-year-old smolt life history patterns found in nature. High growth rates associated with accelerated hatchery rearing to a 1-year-old smolt life history may contribute to maladaptive behavioral traits and reduced post-release survival, and may constitute a primary mechanism leading to reduced fitness in hatchery fish. This project provides for implementation and evaluation of major hatchery reforms identified for the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Winthrop National Fish Hatchery (WNFH). The project combines hatchery-scale and laboratory scale research to investigate the effects of two growth regimes on i) post-release survival and behavior, ii) on maturation and residualism, iii) age-at-maturity, iv) epigenetic changes, and v) reproductive success of returning adults.
PIT tag data for age-1 and age-2 steelhead smolts released from Winthrop National Fish Hatchery for release years 2010-2015.