This is a hatchery update for June 20,2007.

We had a tough year at the hatchery this season. We did not receive enough rainfall to get the returning adult Chinook salmon up the creek to the hatchery until the first week of December. This delay in run timing caused the fish spawn or partially spawn downstream of the hatchery and in the South Fork of the Eel River. Which meant that when they did arrive at the hatchery we were unable to use most of them for spawning. We were only able to spawn seven females for approximately 30,000 eggs. We operated the trap 18 hrs per day until January. The total number of Chinook that we trapped was 81 and the total number of Coho salmon was 315.

These eggs were reared in incubation stacks until they hatched and consumed their egg yolk. After this they were placed into rearing troughs where they are fed numerous times per day. The fingerling Chinook had to be released a few weeks early this season because of an emergency with the water supply into the hatchery. An estimated 25,000 juvenile Chinook salmon were released into Hollow Tree Creek were they will out migrate to the Eel River and then to the ocean. Please come out to the Worlds Largest Salmon Barbeque this year on July 7 at help support the hatchery.

If you have any further questions please email me at spenfish@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your interest,

Spencer Stiff Hatchery Manager Executive Director Salmon Restoration Association