Fin clipping of salmon and steelhead

[BARCHASER10]

I've been curious about this. I'm just asking if anybody on the board knows the answer.

My understanding is that any hatchery that gets federal money, which is all of them I think, has to fin clip 100% of salmon and steelhead. My friend was a master hunter in Washington (he's too sick now, long story). As such he had to perform a number of hours of volunteer outdoor related work each year. He did volunteer fin clipping at the Issaquah hatchery. This is 8-9 years ago. Back then, the hatchery had a budget for fin clipping and after they used up the budget, they just quit fin clipping. So only a percentage of salmon were actually fin clipped.

I think it is different now, they have to do 100%, there was a change in the law a few years ago. I also heard the tribal hatcheries tried for an exemption but were refused.

I also heard that the fin clip machines dont work.

Rumour or truth?

[G-Man]

Have a look at this link, it will answer a few of your questions: http://wdfw.wa.gov/hatcheries/overview.html

I don't believe that all hatchery raised salmon get marked, I can't imagine all the non-marked fish caught in Elliot Bay are "native" fish. I can see it being used as a way to get a few more fish back to the river.

[Anonymous]

Last year a Neah Bay I was chatting with one of the counters and he was telling us he normally works at one of the hatcheries feeding the Columbia and they only clipped about 50%. Or what they could get to scooping them out of the ponds. It was a guess......

[Matt]

Also, the Tulalip tribe does not clip their fish either. That is why in the Bubble Terminal Fishery, you can keep finned Chinook. The bottom line is that even if all fry are clipped, a percentage will be missed due to human error. As far as I know there are not effective machines used to clip the adipose, it is all hand done with tiny scissors. The fish are anesthetized using clove oil or a similar agent and clipped then released back to the holding ponds. The percentage of fish clipped is well over 50% and closer to 95%, the fish are routed out of the holding ponds into smaller raceways where they can be scooped up and then returned to the main holding pond, its not like they are just scooping out of the main bag and putting them right back in, that would be impossibly difficult. Some clipping is done on a volunteer basis, but much of it is done through temporary payed positions making it highly expensive.

[Bodofish]

I'm absolutely sure all that is true. If you're trying to clip all of them or as many as you can.

[Smalma]

The mark rate of hatchery Chinook and coho in Puget Sound is pretty high. That includes those fish produced by the Tribal hatcheries.

It is pretty common for smaller test groups (usually about 200,000) not to be marked (though they usually will have code wire tags). This allows the managers to evaluate the success of various rearing strategies as well as the effectiveness of such management actions as selective fisheries.

I believe in the last couple years something like 85% of the hatchery Chinook and coho returning to Puget Sound have an adipose fin clip. For steelhead that figure is north of 95%.

While it is common for we angler to assume that any fish whose head "beeps" when checked at the dock is a missed clip though the case is that the major of the time those fish are from the test groups mentioned. It is true that since the fish are clipped by humans some are missed though the miss mark rate is very low. I know during the 1980s the Department of wildlife would routinely check the mark of the hatchery steelhead prior to being released into the Puget Sound Rivers. The lowest mark rate I saw was 95% and usually the mark rate was in that 98 to 99.5% rate - not too shabby.

Tight lines
Curt

[Outjack]

The state has an automated system for clipping the adipose fin and insterting a coded wire in the nose. This is done without the fish being anesthetized. It is in a portable trailer that is transported around the state. Manual clipping is also done since all fish will not fit through the automated system. I am told that less than 50% chinook are tagged at the Priest Rapids hatchery. The system is just too slow for the volume of fish there. I find it quite funny when people talk about catching wild fall chinook in the Columbia.

[BARCHASER10]

Thank you for the info. At least if I'm confident they are trying to clip all the fish, it makes me have a little more faith in the system. I have noticed that over on the Strait, Sekiu and PA, the "wild" non-clipped Chinook rate is higher. I always felt it was due to Canuck Chinooks. I believe the Canucks dont fin clip Chinooks but they do clip Silvers.

[Stacie Kelsey]

I've done it by hand at one of the hatcheries. Very long and cold work (hands in freezing water!). You have a little chute full of water and you grab the little guys and clip the fins. It was kind of fun though.

With the exception of a couple of projects, we clip the majority of our here in Region 5.

stace

[racfish]

When I was in my 20's I had to do 100 hours of community work. I worked at the Issaquah Hatchery cleaning out the rearing tanks.Its too bad that on a state level everything is done half arse. Either clip or dont clip. Why just do some. The pay is the same either way. This is no offense to you Stacie. I've seen more out of you doing a great job in answering us and keeping us well informed. But most peeps that clip are doing a real poor job. The ones who suffer the most are us end users (fisherpeople). Is it clipped or not. Is this just a half clip or not. Maybe clipping isnt the answer. Whatever the answer is ,is that it needs to be done better.

[Stacie Kelsey]

I can imagine coming across a big beautiful fish and find it has a questionable clip. I have heard so many stories about that.