May 20, 2022 4:00 p.m. 

Hatchery summer steelhead smolts were released Friday from the Rock Creek Hatchery into the North Umpqua River per a court order issued this week by the Marion County Circuit Court.

A release from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife said Petitioners Douglas County, Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby, and fishing guide Scott Worsley filed for a preliminary injunction seeking to prevent from taking effect the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission’s April 22nd decision to not release hatchery summer steelhead smolts in 2022 and to eliminate the Rock Creek hatchery summer steelhead program  until the case is decided on its merits or is otherwise disposed of by the court.

ODFW said under the court order issued Thursday after a Wednesday hearing, approximately 70,000 hatchery summer smolts are being “volitionally released”, meaning they leave the raceway on their own. Any smolts that do not migrate out of the raceway will be transported outside the range of summer steelhead rearing habitat to minimize the risk of competition to wild juvenile summer steelhead in the river. ODFW said volitional releases have been standard practice with summer steelhead at Rock Creek Hatchery.

The release said the court order also requires the Petitioners and ODFW to work together and with others in the region to seek out and support implementation and funding of an effective trapping program at the hatchery to further mitigate any potential harm to wild summer steelhead.

ODFW said the State Fish and Wildlife Commission’s decision to eliminate the Rock Creek Hatchery summer steelhead program is enjoined until the case is decided on its own merits or is otherwise disposed of by the court.

The release said the Commission decided at its May 13th meeting to hold a special meeting to discuss information from various tribes and other comments related to the Rock Creek summer steelhead hatchery program. In light of the court’s decision, that meeting is delayed to a future, yet to be determined, date.