As you know, this season’s steelhead returns for the entire Columbia Basin are at record lows. ODFW has been concerned that returns of hatchery fish for broodstock to the Round Butte Hatchery would not be sufficient to meet production goals. Those goals are divided into phases and it turns out that early season returns have exceeded RBH needs. Consistent with the recent past, excess hatchery broodstock have been moved above the Pelton Round Butte complex. What’s different so far this year is where they are being placed.

This is the second year that the Round Butte Dam has work being done on their turbines. With water not going through the turbines the spillway has been opened to release water. Last year many fish, including adult steelhead and bull trout, passed through the spillway into Lake Simtutus which is a dead end for these fish. Note that the Round Butte Dam spillway is a tunnel through the dam, not over it.

To avoid adult steelhead traveling back down through the spillway, ODFW made the decision to truck them directly to the Crooked River in September when flows were still good there. Once Crooked flows dropped to 35 cfs, steelhead were placed into Whychus Creek. 29 steelhead were moved to the Crooked in September and approximately 150 have been moved to Whychus. This the largest number of steelhead in Whychus since the reintroduction effort began. When flows in the Crooked reliably get back to 50 cfs more steelhead may be placed there. Flows were supposed to be at 50 cfs after Nov 1, but they are at 47 cfs now.

The turbine work should conclude next month, the spillway will be closed, and excess broodstock, if any, will be placed into Lake Billy Chinook where they can choose where to go. As always, if you happen to catch a steelhead (it will have a green floy tag near its dorsal fin), please don’t take it out of the water and release it as quickly as possible.