Movement Patterns of Artificially Reconditioned Kelt Steelhead Following Release in the Yakima River Basin

To improve the analysis of long-term reconditioning and parental contribution within the Yakima River Basin, we radio/PIT-tagged 70 kelts and solely PIT-tagged an additional 154 kelts in late October of 2013. Kelts were assumed to be rematuring based on their estradiol readings. There were 57% (40) radio tagged and 42% (65) of the PIT-tag only kelts migrating over Prosser Dam in the late fall of 2013/spring of 2014. 27% (19) of the radio tagged and 18% (27) of the PIT-only group successfully returned to spawning tributaries. Some of these radio tagged (4) and PIT-only (8) kelts had prior detection histories as maiden fish that we could use as a performance and fidelity comparison.  All 12 of these fish returned to their natal streams as repeat spawners in 2014 at nearly the same date (3-14 days) as the previous years (2013) maiden spawning.  Overall, 19% (13) of the radio tagged group were tracked to assumed spawning locations.  This was based on 2-5 days at a specific location with subsequent rapid movement out of the tributary, 1-3 days, to the Yakima mainstem.  Juvenile tissue samples were collected from the 8 accessible sites and currently awaits analysis.