The reintroduction of chinook salmon into the Canadian side of the Columbia River is showing early signs of success, according to the Sinixt Confederacy.
The work is part of a larger project involving the Colville, Coeur d’Alene, and Spokane tribes to bring back salmon to places where they have been blocked for decades on both sides of the border following the construction of dams, including Grand Coulee.
“Once we put them in the place they used to call home, they’re doing their own work, swimming up river, finding the habit that’s right for them,” said Cindy Marchand, fisheries chair of the Colville Confederated Tribes, of which the Sinixt Confederacy is a member.
“It’s amazing that these fish are locating in their place of origin. It’s a great way to show that even though we have these dams, salmon reintroduction does work. We’re in our early phases, but for those folks who were doubting this, we’re seeing preliminary studies showing these salmon are finding their place in the river system.”
Of the adult chinook released from boat launches at Northport and Evans, Wash., last year, an estimated 83 per cent moved into Canadian waters, and some exhibited spawning behavior. Hundreds more fish have been released this year, but data on their movement won’t be available until September.
In the meantime, anyone who catches a chinook in the Columbia is asked to take a photo, note the location, and return it to the river. Reports can be made to policy adviser Herb Alex at 509-419-9801. It’s especially important to note whether the fish has a spaghetti tag on its dorsal fin, Marchand said.
Other streams and tributaries in the US are seeing similar success, Marchand added, where salmon are finding their way to areas where runs used to exist.
“It’s amazing that they have that genetic memory and they’re finding their way back,” she said. “Our goal is a self-sustaining population. Once we get these fish past these barriers, they will do what they need to do on their own, which we’re seeing great signs of.”
Herb Alex, who spoke to Trail city council this week about the project, called the Canadian side of the Columbia a “coldwater refuge” for chinook, as some parts of the lower river system are becoming too warm for them.
He explained that Canadian fisheries regulations make it difficult to bring live fish across the border, but the chinook oblige by swimming up on their own. Data collected last year in partnership with BC Hydro and Selkirk College found the chinook seem to like areas around Genelle and the Robson bridge. While the fish bumped up against the Brilliant and Keenleyside dams, at least some were able to make it through the Keenleyside boat lock.
In July, a chinook was caught at Cascade Falls on the Kettle River, a first since the Columbia was dammed. “Chinook coming back is inevitable,” Alex said.
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