Conduct Fall Chinook Salmon Spawning Escapement Enumeration Projects

This project is a continuation of long-term monitoring and assessment efforts of Blue Creek anadromous salmonid runs. Blue Creek is the only remaining drainage in the lower Klamath sub-basin which supports sizable runs of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho salmon (O. kisutch), and the ongoing monitoring of the status of these fish runs is essential in order to accurately assess the status of wild salmonid runs throughout the Klamath River basin. This project was initiated by USFWS in FY 1989, is designed to collect adult escapement data for the Blue Creek basin. This data allows for an assessment of anadromous salmonid population trends within the basin as well as continued assessment and refinement of anadromous salmonid distribution, immigration timing, and habitat usage throughout the Blue Creek drainage. This trend data is an integral component of the Mega-Table and allows for a more accurate assessment of wild salmonid population numbers throughout the Klamath Basin, which in turn allows for more accurate predictions of future chinook run sizes and corresponding allowable harvest numbers. Information collected through this project also allows for more meaningful and informed input into land management activities within the basin as well as on-going watershed restoration activities.