Adult Research

Project Description

In conjunction with the Juvenile Production Assessment Projects on the Puyallup and White Rivers, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians conducts additional extensive adult and juvenile salmonid escapement monitoring throughout the Puyallup/White River Watershed (Puget Sound ESU). The project involves rigorous monitoring and evaluation efforts to determine the status, trends, responses and uses by various life history stages of ESA listed Chinook, winter steelhead and bull trout; as well as, non-listed coho, pink, sockeye and chum salmon.

Project Elements

Project elements include monitoring and evaluating adult and juvenile escapements and survival, migration, distribution and habitat utilization; as well as, monitoring and assessing effects of in-river harvest management actions. Monitoring and evaluation efforts encompass extensive spawning ground escapement surveys for Chinook, pink, coho, chum, steelhead, and bull trout. Adult escapement monitoring and biological sampling of Chinook, steelhead and bull trout returns to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) fish trap on the White River; as well as adult and juvenile salmonid migration and mortality monitoring at the Electron hydroelectric project forebay fish collection facility (Electron Hydro LLC).

Goals, Tasks and Expected Benefits

The Puyallup Tribe’s goal is the recovery and sustainability of ESA listed Spring/Fall Chinook, winter steelhead, and non-listed coho, pink and chum stocks. The RM&E project is a fundamental necessity for constructing informative and adaptive management decisions leading to effective actions towards improving fisheries stocks for the execution of native treaty and subsistence fishing rights. The monitoring and evaluation project is a high priority for the Puyallup Tribe and is vital towards assessing the status and trends of wild and hatchery salmonids; as well as their environments. The program is successful at investigating factors affecting salmonid population viability and providing information essential for resolving existing and potential habitat, water quality and hydraulic violation issues through corrective and/or mitigatory actions.

A complete finding of fisheries project results can be found in the Puyallup Tribal Fisheries annual salmon, steelhead and bull head report.

For more information, contact Puyallup Tribe Fisheries at 253-680-5560.