Movement and survival of chinook salmon fry stocked in a stream with natural barriers to anadromous fish migration

Abstract

This study examined the movement, habitat utilization, growth, and survival of hatchery incubated chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshavvytscha) fry stocked above a barrier falls on the Indian River, Chichagof Island, southeast Alaska. The Indian River contained significant potential salmonid rearing habitat, but was devoid of anadromous fish upstream of the barrier falls near tidewater. Approximately 50,000 and 260,000 chinook fry were stocked into Indian River in 1986 and 1988, respectively. The stream was divided into reaches which were stocked with equal numbers of fry. In 1988, fry also were stocked into beaver ponds connected to the stream. Each group of fry contained coded-wire tagged individuals, identified by stocking location. Fry movement was almost entirely downstream, with a substantial emigration during a spring flood immediately after the 1988 stocking. Most emigrating fry had been stocked in the lower stream section.