February 17, 2021 3:40 a.m.
Staff with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has provided a production update for the Rock Creek Hatchery.
Greg Huchko, Umpqua District fisheries biologist said ODFW continues to work on short-term solutions for hatchery production to maintain Umpqua fisheries and long-range rebuilding planning after the Archie Creek Fire destroyed much of the hatchery in September.
Huchko said ODFW will engage with the community on planning when recovery funding is more solidified, fisheries and habitat information is compiled, and rebuilding options are identified. The release said options to rebuild will be aligned with ODFW’s Coastal Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan and new Climate and Ocean Change Policy, and basin specific plans. Huchko said the amount of funding available will also be used to determine the final path forward.
In the short-term, ODFW developed a plan to continue in-basin hatchery releases while rearing capacity and some lost infrastructure is restored over the coming years.
Immediately after the fire, hatchery staff transferred about 700 surviving adult spring Chinook and summer steelhead to Cole Rivers Hatchery where the Chinook were then spawned. The release said the summer steelhead will be spawned there later this winter. Cole Rivers will rear these fish to smolts and transfer them back to Rock Creek for acclimation once piping infrastructure repairs are completed.
Winter steelhead broodstock are currently being collected from anglers in the South Umpqua River and at the Canyonville collection facility and taken to Cole Rivers for spawning. Adult coho salmon collected below Galesville Reservoir were spawned at the Canyonville facility and their eggs moved to Cole Rivers Hatchery for eventual release into Cow Creek.
Huchko said staff is engaged in longer-term planning for how best to rebuild the hatchery’s lost capacity. He said the overarching goal for the rebuild remains a commitment to quality fisheries in the basin and an outcome that’s durable in the future in the face of changing environmental conditions.
Huchko said discussions are ongoing with insurance providers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to understand what monies may be available, the limitations for spending and when claims must be finalized.