Elochoman Type-N Coho Hatchery Program
Summary
NOAA Fisheries is making available for public review and comment an hatchery and genetics management plan, or HGMP (PDF, 78 pages), submitted by the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife for NOAA Fisheries ESA Section 4(d) Rule limit 5 determination for the Elochoman Type-N coho program located at the Beaver Creek Hatchery.
ESA Section 4(d) Limit 5 determination allows for state or federal hatchery programs that may encounter ESA-listed species to operate their program with ESA coverage. This program propagates Type-N late returning coho salmon released from Beaver Creek Hatchery into the Columbia River Estuary.
The hatchery program is intended to:
- Supplement or support the conservation of the Grays and Elochoman River local natural coho salmon populations by reducing hatchery strays and incorporating natural-origin genetics into the hatchery production to minimize hatchery domestication influence on the natural population from incidental straying of hatchery-origin spawners.
- Mitigate for fish losses caused by the construction and operation of the Columbia River Dam complexes.
- Provide additional opportunities for tribal, commercial, and recreational fisheries.
The HGMP describes the program in detail, including monitoring and evaluation to assess performance in meeting conservation and supplementation objectives and effects on ESA-listed Chinook, steelhead, coho, and chum.
How to Comment
- Written responses on the HGMP should be addressed to the NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division, 1201 N.E. Lloyd Blvd., Portland, OR 97232.
- Comments may be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for providing e-mail comments is: hatcheries.public.comment@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line of the e- mail comment the following identifier: Comments on Elochoman River coho hatchery program.
For more information on this process, please contact James Archibald at (503) 230-5425 james.archibald@noaa.gov.
For more information on hatchery programs that NOAA Fisheries is evaluating along the West Coast, please visit our hatcheries web page.