There are four types,
or species, of salmon in our region. Salmon are anadromous
fish. Anadromous fish begin their lives in fresh water and grow
to maturity in the ocean before returning to fresh water to
spawn. In the Mid-Columbia there are spring, summer and fall
Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead.
Spring Chinook and steelhead are protected under the Endangered
Species Act..
Spring Chinook spawn in the upper reaches
of four different tributaries flowing into the main stem of the
Columbia River. After hatching, they may spend up to one year
in fresh water before heading to the ocean where they spend
from one to five years before returning to their native streams
to begin the cycle anew. In
contrast, summer and fall Chinook spawn in the lower reaches of
the same tributaries, but also spawn in certain areas of the
mainstem Columbia River itself. After hatching, summer and fall
Chinook typically spend less than one year in fresh water
before migrating to the ocean as “sub-yearling”
fish.
Sockeye spawn in the tributaries that flow
into a natural lake (for example the Little Wenatchee and White
rivers that flow into Lake Wenatchee). Once hatched, the
young sockeye spend one to two years in the lake before heading
to the ocean, and then spend one to two years in the ocean
before returning.
Coho usually spawn in the lower to middle
reaches of tributaries. Young coho prefer to feed and grow for
a year in calm side channel areas of a stream, and then migrate
downstream to the ocean after one full year in fresh water.
They spend one to two years in the ocean before returning as
adults to spawn.
Steelhead exhibit the most complex cycle of
any of the species in the region. Like spring Chinook,
they generally spawn in the upper reaches of each watershed. In
this region, some may spend up to four years in fresh water.
They can spend up to seven years in fresh water before
migrating to the ocean, but most spend two to three years. They
usually spend one to three years in the ocean before returning
to the river where they began life. Some steelhead never
migrate at all, spending their entire lives in fresh water as
resident rainbow trout.
The main stem of the Columbia has populations of summer/fall
Chinook spawning in certain places, while each tributary
(Wenatchee, Entiat, Methow, and Okanogan) has naturally
producing populations of spring and summer Chinook. Coho salmon
are present in the Wenatchee, Entiat, and Methow
rivers. The Wenatchee and Okanogan systems also have
populations of sockeye salmon, while all four of the
mid-Columbia tributaries have naturally occurring populations
of steelhead.