Elwha Watershed Information Resource

Underwater view of swimming salmon. National Park Service

Historically, the Elwha River was home to many species of fish (the major species are summarized in the sections below). All of the fish were affected to some degree by the construction of the dams in the early 1900s. However, the salmon runs suffered significant losses after their spawning grounds were confined to a small area (4.9 miles) near the mouth of the river. In fact, two salmon runs are believed to be extinct. Of the Pacific salmonids, small numbers of Chinook, coho, chum, pink, and steelhead still exist in the Elwha River. Many of these fish runs are economically and culturally important to tribal fisheries as well as non-tribal commercial and sport fisheries.

Species Descriptions

The historical fish species of he Elwha River included Chinook, coho, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon, steelhead, rainbow, and cutthroat trout, dolly varden, bull trout, Pacific lamprey, Western brook lamprey, white sturgeon, eulachon, three-spine stickleback, and sculpin which are summarized in the sections below.

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Adult Chinook salmon enter the Elwha River from June through September; peak spawning occurs from September through mid-October (NPS 1996). Spawning occurs in the mainstem channel in medium sized gravel. Juveniles leave the river either their first spring or the following May or June. To better understand the way that juvenile Chinook salmon use the estuary and nearshore habitats, juveniles in the Elwha River have been radio-tagged (2006-2007). See chinook photo.

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Adult coho salmon enter the Elwha River from the middle of August until the beginning of December; spawning occurs from October into December (NPS 1996). Spawning typically occurs in tributaries with small to medium sized gravel, but coho will also spawn in the mainstem or side channels if the proper sized gravel is present. Juveniles spend a year in the river before migrating out to the ocean in late March through the middle of June. To better understand the way that coho salmon use the estuary and nearshore habitats and to monitor the behavior of returning adults, both adult and juvenile coho in the Elwha River have been radio-tagged (2005-2007). Coho salmon are a prized sport and commercial species in Washington. Currently, hatchery production of coho in the Elwha River accounts for less than one percent of the total coho production in Puget Sound. See coho photo.

Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)

Adult chum salmon enter the Elwha River from September through the beginning of December (NPS 1996). Spawning occurs October through January in low grade channels and tributaries with small sized gravel. After the juveniles (called fry) emerge in March through June they leave the river. Chum salmon are a major commercial species in Puget Sound, although there were less than 500 chum returning yearly to the Elwha in the 1990s. See chum photo.

Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbushca)

Adult pink salmon enter and spawn in the Elwha River every odd year, from July through September (NPS 1996). Spawning occurs in low gradient channels and tributaries with small sized gravel. Juveniles emerge in early spring and migrate to the estuary where they typically spend up to two months before moving into the ocean. Pink salmon are a major commercial species in Puget Sound; however, pink salmon numbers in the Elwha River have dropped dramatically since 1979. See pink salmon photo.

Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Historically, sockeye salmon entered the Elwha River in July and August and spawned in September in Lake Sutherland (NSP 1996). The construction of the Elwha Dam (1913) blocked access to Lake Sutherland. Today, sockeye salmon in the Elwha are considered extinct. Sockeye salmon are a prized commercial species in Washington, although runs within the state are small. See sockeye photo.

Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Adult summer steelhead enter the Elwha River from the end of April through September and stay in the river up to six months before spawning in spring (NPS 1996), whereas adult winter steelhead enter the river from December through early April and spawn in spring. Steelhead spawn in the mainstem and in tributaries with substrate ranging from fine gravel to medium cobble. Juveniles usually spend two years in the river (although it ranges from one to three years) before migrating to the ocean. To better understand the way that juvenile steelhead use the estuary and nearshore habitats, juveniles have been radio-tagged (2006-2007). Steelhead support a tribal commercial harvest and are sought after by sport anglers in Washington. The Elwha River is the largest producer of steelhead in the Strait of Juan de Fuca due to the tribal hatchery program. See steelhead photo.

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Rainbow trout are permanent residents of the Elwha River and do not migrate to ocean. Rainbow trout can be found in the upper and middle reaches of the Elwha River and in the reservoirs that were created by the dams (NPS 1996). Rainbow trout spawn from April to June and juveniles (fry) emerge in mid-summer (depending on water temperature). See rainbow trout photo.

Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki)

Some cutthroat are permanent residents of the Elwha River and some migrate from the ocean. Small numbers of resident cutthroat have been found in the middle reach (Indian Creek) of the Elwha (NPS 1996), whereas the sea-run (anadromous) cutthroat are found in the lower river and they migrate upstream from July to January. Both resident and anadromous cutthroat spawn in December through March with juveniles (fry) emerging in late spring. Anadromous cutthroat juveniles remain in the river for several years before migrating to the ocean. See cutthroat photo.

Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma)

Dolly Varden have two life histories, in the Elwha either residing in the river (resident) or migrating to the ocean (anadromous). Anadromous Dolly Varden migrate from the ocean upriver in May through December (peak in August-September) and both anadromous and resident fish spawn in October (NPS 1996). Juveniles (fry) emerge in late spring (April-May) and reside in the river permantly in resident form or reside for three to four years before migrating to the ocean in anadromous life history form. See Dolly Varden photo.

Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus)

Bull trout like Dolly Varden have two life histories in the Elwha, either residing in the river (resident) or migrating to the ocean (anadromous) (NPS 1996). Anadromous bull trout migrate from the ocean upriver in May through December (peak in August-September) and both anadromous and resident bull trout spawn in October-November. Resident and anadromous Juveniles (fry) emerge in late spring (April-May). After emergence resident bull trout juveniles reside in the river and anadromous juvenile remain in the river for three to five years before migrating to the ocean. Adult and juvenile bull trout in the Elwha River have been radio tagged (2005-2006) in an effort to study their movements and distributions. See bull trout photo.

Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata)

Adult Pacific lamprey enter the Elwha River between April and June and they continue migrating upstream in the freshwater until they reach smaller streams by September (Beamish 1980). Pacific lamprey stay in these smalls streams over the winter and wait until the following spring to spawn. After hatching, larvae (ammocoetes) spend four to six years burrowed in the stream sediment filter feeding (Close Fitzpatrick and Li 2002), after which the larvae go through morphological and physiological changes and become juveniles. The juveniles migrate to the ocean and spend up to three and a half years in the ocean before returning as adults to spawn. See lamprey photo.

Western brook lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni)

Western brook lamprey are permanent residents of the Elwha River and its tributaries and do not migrate to the ocean. Spawning occurs in April through July. After hatching, ammocoetes (larval lamprey) burrow into the stream sediment and filter feed (McClory and Gotthardt 2005). When they become large enough, ammocetes metamorphose in the fall into adults and spawn the following spring. See Western lamprey photo.

White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

White sturgeons are anadromous with older juveniles and adults residing in rivers, estuaries, and marine environments (PSMFC 1996). White sturgeon migrate into large rivers in the spring and spawn May through June. Eggs usually hatch within four days to a few weeks and young juveniles spend another two to three weeks on the river bottom until they grow into free-swimming young sturgeon. See white sturgeon photo.

Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus)

Eulachon are anadromous smelt that live in the ocean and enter freshwater to spawn. Spawning usually occurs in February to the middle of May; larval eulachon hatch in two to four weeks and are washed downstream to the estuary (PSMFC 1996). The larval eulachon remain in the low salinity areas of the estuary for a few weeks before moving to nearshore areas (Beacham 2005). See eulachon photo.

Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Threespine stickleback are permanent residents in the Elwha River. Spawning occurs in late spring into summer (UCCE 2003). Males dig nests and guard the eggs until the juveniles (fry) hatch and are several days old. See stickleback photo.

Sculpin (Cottus spp.)

Various species of sculpin (such as coastrange and prickly sculpin) may inhabit the Elwha River. Coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleutics) are found in coastal streams and usually spawn in the estuary in January through March or may spawn further upstream later in the year (UCCE 2003). After larvae hatch they are swept downstream and live in the water column for three to five weeks before settling on the stream bottom. Prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) spawn in rocky substrate between February and June. The male guards the eggs until they hatch. Larvae are washed downstream and remain in the water column until they develop into juveniles. See sculpin photo.

Reference

Beacham, T. D., D. E. Hay, and K. D. Le. 2005. "Population structure and stock identification of eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) an anadromous smelt, in the Pacific Northwest." Marine Biotechnology. Volume 7, Number 4. Pages 363 to 372.

Beamish, R. J. 1980. "Adult biology of the river lamprey (Lampetra ayersi) and the Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) from the Pacific coast of Canada." Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Volume 37. Pages 1906 to 1923.

Close, D. A., M. S. Fitzpatrick, and H. W. Li. 2002. "The ecological and cultural importance of a species at risk of extinction, Pacific lamprey." Fisheries. Volume 27, Number 7. Pages 19 to 25.

McClory, J. G., and T. A. Gotthardt. 2005. Western brook lamprey - State Conservation Status, Element Ecology and Life History.

NPS (National Park Service). 1996. Elwha River Ecosystem Restoration, Draft Environmental Impact Statement. National Park Service, Olympic National Park, 600 East Park Avenue, Port Angeles, Washington, 98362.

PSMFC (Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission). 1996. Eulachon and White Sturgeon.

UCCE (University of California Cooperative Extension). 2003. California fish website -Threespine stickleback and Prickly Sculpin.

Additional Information

Brenkman, S. J., and S. C. Corbett. 2005. "Extent of anadromy in bull trout and implications for conservation of a threatened species." North American Journal of Fisheries Management. Volume 25. Pages 1073 to 1081.

Brenkman, S. J., S. C. Corbett, and E. C. Volk. 2007. "Use of otolith chemistry and radiotelemetry to determine age-specific migratory patterns of anadromous bull trout in the Hoh River, Washington." Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Volume 136. Pages 1 to 11.

Gresh, T., J. Lichatowich, and P. Schoonmaker. 2000. "An estimation of historic and current levels of salmon production in the Northeast Pacific ecosystem." Fisheries. Volume 25, Number 1. Pages 15 to 21.

Perrin, C. J., L. L. Rempel, and M. L. Rosenau. 2003. "White sturgeon spawning habitat in an unregulated River: Fraser River, Canada." Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Volume 132. Pages 154 to 165.

Rogers, I. H., I. K. Birtwell, and G. M. Kruzynski. 1990. "The Pacific eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) as a pollution indicator organism in the Fraser-River estuary, Vancouver, British Columbia." Science Of The Total Environment. Volume 97, Number 8. Pages 713 to 727.

Stone, J. 2006. "Observations on nest characteristics, spawning habitat, and spawning behavior of Pacific and Western brook lamprey in a Washington stream." Northwestern Naturalist. Volume 87. Pages 225 to 232.

Wunderlich, R. C., B. D. Winter, and J. H. Meyer. 1994. "Restoration of the Elwha River Ecosystem." Fisheries Volume 19, Number 8. Pages 11 to 19.