Sub-project 1. Oregon ocean sampling for coded wire tags in commercial troll and recreational fisheries this project proposes to improve sampling rates and continue electronic coded wire tag (CWT)…

This federal Project Grant award, provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438), supports two key sub-projects:

1. The first sub-project aims to improve sampling rates and continue electronic coded wire tag (CWT) sampling along the Oregon coast, particularly in the commercial troll and recreational salmon fisheries. This will help maintain minimum 20% CWT sampling rates in sampled ports and allow for full electronic CWT sampling of all Chinook and Coho salmon. The total funding for this sub-project is $460,812.00, with an award date of September 1, 2024 and a completion date of June 30, 2025.

2. The second sub-project focuses on the CWT tagging, recovery, and escapement estimation of Elk River fall-run Chinook salmon, which is designated as an exploitation rate indicator stock for the Mid-Oregon Coast aggregate. This effort will involve adipose fin marking and CWT tagging of all fall-run Chinook salmon production from the Elk River Hatchery, along with a complete terminal tag recovery program.

Sub-project 1. Oregon ocean sampling for coded wire tags in commercial troll and recreational fisheries this project proposes to improve sampling rates and continue electronic coded wire tag (CWT) sampling along the oregon coast with a focus on the columbia river ocean salmon management area (leadbetter PT., washington, to cape falcon, oregon). This applies to both recreational and commercial fisheries, with electronic sampling that began in 2011. This proposal will enhance project seasonal port sampling staff to maintain CWT sampling rates at or above the established minimum 20% level in all sampled ports along the oregon coast with a particular focus on astoria, warrenton, hammond, and garibaldi. The project will provide for 23 seasonal sampler months out of a total seasonal sampling staffing need in this project of 174.5 employee months. The primary goals of the project are (1) to provide for, support and maintain minimum CWT sampling rates, especially in the commercial troll salmon fishery and (2) to provide for full electronic CWT sampling of all chinook and coho salmon on vessels interviewed along the oregon coast. The latter would allow US to identify and recover cwts from salmon that were tagged but not adipose FIN marked. Sub-project 2. Mid-oregon coastal production region CWT tagging, recovery and escapement estimation of ELK river fall-run chinook salmon. The ELK river CWT chinook salmon program was designated an exploitation rate indicator stock (eris) for the mid-oregon coast (MOC) aggregate. There is currently only one other eris on the oregon coast, located in the north oregon coast aggregate. Considerable effort has been spent in recent years to maintain consistency in CWT tagging levels in ELK river hatchery production. Conducting a reliable, economically viable estimate for the terminal return is critical to maintain the ELK river hatchery CWT release as a functional eris. As such, the oregon department of fish and wildlife proposes to adipose FIN mark and CWT (ad+CWT) all fall-run chinook salmon production from the ELK river hatchery and to administer a complete terminal tag recovery program consisting of a terminal fishery creel survey, spawning ground surveys, and hatchery intake sampling.