Occupy Skagit, on steroids.

I could easily find recent steelhead escapement numbers for the following eastern Puget Sound basins: Nooksack, Samish, Skagit, Stillaguamish, Snohomish, Cedar, Green, Puyallup, and Nisqually. Depending on the basin the latest numbers were either through 2023 or 2025 (often it takes a year or two to post the numbers). For the non-Skagit populations having the numbers is not the problem. Rather the question is the adequate number to support a fishery without a significant increase in risk of extinction. To make that determination of Fishery Management Plan and federal review of said FMP is needed. An off-the-cuff assessment is that most (all?) of the non-Skagit population would not make it by Federal review even if the FMP were developed (though that does not excuse WDFW for having done the work of developing the plans.

Curt
 
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Smalma said:
I could easily find recent steelhead escapement numbers for the following eastern Puget Sound basins: Nooksack, Samish, Skagit, Stillaguamish, Snohomish, Cedar, Green, Puyallup, and Nisqually. Depending on the basin the latest numbers were either through 2023 or 2025 (often it takes a year or two to post the numbers). For the non-Skagit populations having the numbers is not the problem. Rather the question is the adequate number to support a fishery without a significant increase in risk of extinction. To make that determination of Fishery Management Plan and federal review of said FMP is needed. An off-the-cuff assessment is that most (all?) of the non-Skagit population would make it by Federal review even if the FMP were developed (though that does not excuse WDFW for having done the work of developing the plans.

Curt
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Are you saying they would all pass muster for a season?
 
Smalma said:
I could easily find recent steelhead escapement numbers for the following eastern Puget Sound basins: Nooksack, Samish, Skagit, Stillaguamish, Snohomish, Cedar, Green, Puyallup, and Nisqually. Depending on the basin the latest numbers were either through 2023 or 2025 (often it takes a year or two to post the numbers). For the non-Skagit populations having the numbers is not the problem. Rather the question is the adequate number to support a fishery without a significant increase in risk of extinction. To make that determination of Fishery Management Plan and federal review of said FMP is needed. An off-the-cuff assessment is that most (all?) of the non-Skagit population would not make it by Federal review even if the FMP were developed (though that does not excuse WDFW for having done the work of developing the plans.

Curt
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Hi Curt,
Is that hatchery escapement or wild escapement/snorkel/redd survey? I know where to find the hatchery numbers, but any links you have to the wild/native fish would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Stacy
 
skyriver said:
Hi Curt,
Is that hatchery escapement or wild escapement/snorkel/redd survey? I know where to find the hatchery numbers, but any links you have to the wild/native fish would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Stacy
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Wild escapement.

I can't get a link to work but if you search WDFW SCORE you can reach it. Once there go to the species drop box, then populations status, then the species data, select steelhead data, then select the population.

For most populations you will get a time series graph and a table of escapements. The "fine print" will give additional details, that includes the areas surveyed, type of survey, etc. This section of the site has been useful however the other drop boxes not so much. If after visiting the site, you have more detailed questions I try to answer them or there usually is link to the area bio.

Good luck
Curt
 
Smalma said:
Wild escapement.

I can't get a link to work but if you search WDFW SCORE you can reach it. Once there go to the species drop box, then populations status, then the species data, select steelhead data, then select the population.

For most populations you will get a time series graph and a table of escapements. The "fine print" will give additional details, that includes the areas surveyed, type of survey, etc. This section of the site has been useful however the other drop boxes not so much. If after visiting the site, you have more detailed questions I try to answer them or there usually is link to the area bio.

Good luck
Curt
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@Smalma

Is this the trail to the data?


1776871151929.jpeg
 
Brian -
Yes! Thank you

For some reason this inept computer user I also have problems posting links with "fortress" in the address.

Curt
 
Paige said:
A lot of missing data in there, kind of joke realy. SF Sky, only Coho, what gives with that, also no data.
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It seems like the species that need to be sampled for harvest reasons are represented. It sort of lines up with where the department is willing to put it's harvest monitoring money as well.

I am actually a bit surprised at the amount of data that is available for some streams and how consistent some of the west side steelhead numbers are.

There is no way that the state is monitoring searun cutthroat abundance or the summer run steelhead run sizes for the S. Fork Nooksack.

The missing data that I thought was funny was Nooksack wild coho. They literally just guess and do not care.
 
skyriver -
When I checked an hour ago the data for the Snohomish/Skykomish steelhead showed up. Hopefully it is working for you now.

Regarding Puget Sound coho - the management of the various populations is interesting of 14 or 15 "populations" only the Skagit, Stillaguamish, Snohomish, Hood Canal and Eastern strait tribs were considered to be primary stocks where fisheries were managed to achieve wild fish escapement needs. In the other populations/stocks wild fish were considered to be secondary; that is harvest management was directed towards harvest as many of the available hatchery fish as possible and achieving wild escapements is secondary. In recent decades the Samish has transitioned from a secondary to primary stock as hatchery releases were ended.

Regarding the Nooksack; based on the type and availability of coho habitat in the basin it is likely that historically the basin supported one of the largest coho population in Puget Sound!

Curt
 
Can someone explain where the NF Stillaguamish Chinook demands need to be in order to have a longer season? Seems like that continues to be the issue with an earlier opener.
 
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Smalma said:
Wild escapement.

I can't get a link to work but if you search WDFW SCORE you can reach it. Once there go to the species drop box, then populations status, then the species data, select steelhead data, then select the population.

For most populations you will get a time series graph and a table of escapements. The "fine print" will give additional details, that includes the areas surveyed, type of survey, etc. This section of the site has been useful however the other drop boxes not so much. If after visiting the site, you have more detailed questions I try to answer them or there usually is link to the area bio.

Good luck
Curt
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Curt, thanks for guiding us to this dataset. I'm curious on rivers that have don't having any monitoring data but are closed to all fishing - what is the basis to keeping them closed if there's no monitoring data? Not to say that they should be reopened but I'm curious if a river is once closed, that there's not much of a likelihood for it to ever reopen. Thanks.Screenshot 2026-04-22 at 5.07.36 PM.png
 
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charles sullivan said:
Spawning surveys have been done on the Nooksack up to at least 5-6 years ago. I know because I have asked the area bio. I do question their accuracy, but he should basically know if the population in increasing, decreasing or remaining steady. The Nooksack has a remarkably consistent number of spawners. it seems so consistent that I find it to be odd.

I loooked a bit yesterday for where I can submit a request for information with WDFW and could not find anything. I suspect that i am missing some obvious means to do this and will try again today to find out where I can ask for information regarding the number of anglers who participate in sprin chinook fishing on the skagit.
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You should be able to file a public records request using the links on this page:

wdfw.wa.gov

Public Records Requests Including Requests for Body Worn Camera Video

WDFW strives for transparency. Our public records staff will help you find the records you're looking for.
wdfw.wa.gov wdfw.wa.gov

Usually, agencies are very responsive and timely with (reasonable) public records requests.
 
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