Cohoe-Silver Salmon ????

I live close to an estuary and have discovered a puzzle that someone here can perhapd clarify for me. Cohoes(or silvers) Are born into small creek and river systems-live there for a year and then migrate to the ocean-where they travel -supposedly northward following the krill and forage fish. Two years later they return to their native streams to spawn-continuing the cycle. From hatchery fish samples in my estuary fish are caught here that come from many diverse locations some from Washington and Oregon as they are migrating southward. What I don,t get is that last year I was catching and releasing fish in the eight to ten inch sizes-2 year old fish-from my home estuary. This spring I am catching them and they are now entering their Third year of life and they have not left the estuary. By the fall they will be five to ten lbs and ready to spawn. Is this common to Cohoes to stay in the estuary in which they were born?
B.C.Nick

From what I have heard, salmon can and will stay in estuaries and even their natal streams longer. It may have something to do with the quality of habitat being so good that they don't have to move into the open ocean. Brook trout along the coast and great lakes will do the same. They will stay in the stream or near the mouth until the benefits of moving into open water outweigh the benefits of staying near home. Recent genetic studies have shown that it is a learned behaviour, not linked to a certain strain of fish.

I'm not up to speed with my knowledge of pacific salmon on the coast but if you try here [url=http://www.npafc.org/:e76ef]http://www.npafc.org/[/url:e76ef] you may get the answers you seek.

Also search for the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) project. They have been tracking salmon for the past 4 or 5 years with implanted computer chips (acoustic tags). There are receivers all over the pacific seabed that read the tags and send the data back. Its a really neat project. ( [url=http://www.npafc.org/restricted_doc/2004%20Documents_PDF/811(Canada).pdf:e76ef]http://www.npafc.org/restricted_doc/2004%20Documents_PDF/811(Canada).pdf[/url:e76ef] )

I'd be interested to find out more.

Cheers,
Paul

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Paul H.

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"A dry fly on the rise is the beauty mark of a lovely river."