HCSEG Spawner Surveys
A Cooperative Project between WDFW & HCSEG

As a method of evaluating the success of projects, every season we conduct Wild Salmon spawner surveys.  This information is put into the WDFW database for spawner escapement.

HCSEG volunteers walk creek sand rivers to count  the live and dead salmon and  to identify salmon redds

When surveying a system, river walkers not only count the live and dead fish population, they also take samples from the salmon carcasses, such as scale samples, otolith (ear bone) samples etc. 
 

Another method of surveying is to snorkel.  Volunteers need to snorkel the Hama Hama River to count live & dead fish and to collect carcasses for sampling.
There are some rivers, such as the Hama that must be snorkeled when counting salmon.

High school students Keith Murray & Darlene Yeisley collect genetic stock samples and scales from a Chinook Salmon carcass for age data.