State fisheries officials say they errored in not being more forthcoming about the loss of more than 400,000 young summer steelhead at Cowlitz Trout Hatchery in 2016.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife planned to release 625,900 summer steelhead and 90,600 cutthroat trout in late spring of 2016.
But, the actual release was 202,200 steelhead and cutthroat due — most likely — to increased bird predation, ineffective bird hazing and exclusion nets and a fish-counting device prone to error due to technical limitations.
Agency officials were called before the state Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee on Thursday to explain what happened to about 70 percent of the hatchery’s summer steelhead and cutthroat.
“We do not have a very compelling story to tell,’’ said Kelly Cunningham, a deputy assistant director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“Our biggest failure with respect to this issue is our failure and lack of formal and timely communication regarding this fish loss,’’ Cunningham said.
Cowlitz Trout Hatchery in Lewis County has three 5-acre lakes and a 2.5-acre lake in which young fish are reared before release, he said.
The lakes drain into a common channel and the fish pass a counter prior to release in the Cowlitz River.
The middle sections of the lakes are not under netting to reduce avian predation, Cunningham said. It would cost more than $500,000 just for the netting material, he added.
“There are a lot of challenges associated with fish culture at this hatchery,’’ Cunningham told the committee. “The sheer size of the lakes makes it impossible for fish hatchery staff to estimate fish numbers during grow out in these lakes.’’
It is visually impossible to estimate fish numbers so the only method to enumerate the fish is a counter.
“It is limited in its ability to enumerate individual fish,’’ he said. “Multiple fish can go through the counter at the same time and the technology of this counter would only count one fish.’’
An analysis by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Tacoma Power, owner of the hatchery, identified bird predation, counter error and potential disease or environmental issues as the root cause of the missing fish.
Predation makes it difficult to quantify each factor, according to a WDFW fact sheet prepared in January about the fish loss.
Since the loss, netting around the ponds has been improved and the amount of bird hazing has been increased.
Tacoma Power is working to get a contract for some level of lethal hazing, Cunningham said.
Tacoma Power is planning a $5 million remodel of the hatchery within three to six years. The long-term strategy is to install full bird netting on the rearing lakes.
Although steelhead releases were reduced significantly, ocean conditions play a large role in survival. Favorable ocean conditions conceivably still could result in an average adult return in 2018 and 2019, he said.
Cunningham said the release of 600,000 winter steelhead was close to program goals.
Similar fish losses occurred in 2005 and 2007.
Jim Unsworth, state wildlife director, said the Fish and Wildlife Commission will have a work session, including public comment, on the matter in March.
The work session also will include Cowlitz River salmon and steelhead in general, Unsworth said.
