Bruce,

I'm forwarding this to Paul Wagner, WDFW smolt monitoring program
project leader for response.  We examine subsamples of fish condition
daily during bypass and transport operations at several Snake and
Columbia R. dams, including McNary.  You are right that the coho
showing up can be attributed exclusively (almost) to Yakima R. releases.
 My comments are derived from comments passed along by WDFW staff
at McNary regarding the condition of these fish.

See you soon.

Keith


>>> Bruce Watson <[log in to unmask]> 06/02/97 04:15pm >>>
Dear Keith:

Thanks very much for your very interesting message.  I was unaware
that
McNary still collected fish in a live-box and examined them by hand...I
thought everything was done by PIT-tags now.  I would very much like to
get the phone number of your contact at McNary.  Could you please
E-mail
this info?  I have been out of the office much of today, and will be out
tomorrow as well.  I look forward to talking to you in the near future.

Thanks again for the information.

p.s.  Do the McNary folks have any idea, however crude, of the total
passage of coho?  Virtually everything they see at McNary would be
coming from the Yakima: we released 900,000 smolts, most of the coho
smolts in the Methow were killed before release (clogged pond intake),
and I don't think any coho are being released in the Snake or anywhere
else on the mid/upper Columbia.


Keith Wolf wrote:
>
> Bruce,
>
> My WDFW staff at McNary dam has reported the "pulse" of
> Yakima/Methow/Naches coho showing up at the bypass facility.
These
> fish could be subsampled for stomach contents.  They are already
being
> assessed for condition and are showing high mortality and descaling.
>
> Contact me for details.
>
> Keith Wolf
> Fish Program Manager-Region 3