We have now captured over 100,000 fish at the new downstream fish facility at Round Butte Dam. The numbers of salmon smolts (juvenile salmon migrating to the ocean) entering the new fish facilities increased dramatically during March and April, with several days when more than 7,000 salmon and steelhead were caught. The fish passage crew worked overtime to get them sorted, marked, transported to the lower Deschutes River and released safely to continue their journey to the Pacific.

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It all seems surreal. I’ve been a biologist at the Pelton Round Butte Project since 1971. That was only a few years after we learned that the original downstream fish passage system was unworkable because fish couldn’t find the outlet. The fact that we have completed the new selective water withdrawal intake and downstream fish facility at Round Butte Dam – and are passing salmon smolts downstream – is amazing!

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I received a comment on the blog last week from Bob MacRostie, the retired manager of the Deschutes Valley Water District that supplies drinking water to the Culver-Madras area. He wished us success but was was wondering just how effective this project was likely to be at restoring fish runs above the dams.

We are also hoping for the best with new Selective Water Withdrawal Project. Before the original Pelton Round Butte Project was constructed, there were runs totaling hundreds… Read the rest of this entry »

As we assess the effectiveness of the new fish passage system, we will need to know how many steelhead and spring Chinook smolts successfully pass through Lake Billy Chinook and the fish collection facility. To do this, we will be operating several downstream-migrant fish traps in the tributaries to Lake Billy Chinook to capture and tag these smolts. continue reading…

A key milestone for the restoration of fish runs above Lake Billy Chinook took place Feb. 26 and 27, when 150,000 Spring Chinook fry were released into the upper Metolius River. These young fish will be the first to use the new Deschutes passage system. In spring 2009, when they’re ready to migrate downstream, the project will be completed and the fish will be safely transported around the dams. PGE fish biologist Don Ratliff took part in the release and provided this first-hand report. continue reading…