GREEN RIVER— Fisheries biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department are going to collect kokanee salmon eggs on Flaming Gorge Reservoir in an effort to help bolster the Gorge kokanee population and to establish additional spawning runs in other waters across the state. The spawning operation and camp will be set up at Brinegar’s Ferry boat ramp.
Green River Fisheries Biologist John Walrath said the Game and Fish Green River fisheries management crew and the statewide spawning crew will be collecting and spawning kokanee October 19 through November 13. Crews will start setting up camps and moving equipment on site the middle of October.
“Department crews will collect kokanee spawning along the cliffs immediately north of the Upper Marsh Creek boat ramp,” Walrath said. “The fish will be transferred to live cars on the west shore near Brinegar’s Ferry boat ramp. When fish are ready to spawn their eggs and milt will be collected. Kokanee will be collected using a variety of gear to include gill nets, electrofishing boat and possibly by hook and line if the other gear does not produce enough fish.”
Eggs collected during this operation will be taken to the Auburn Fish Hatchery isolation unit where they will be hatched and reared until they clear disease certification. Once certified disease-free the kokanee will be reared to approximately three inches. During the spring of 2016 some of the kokanee will return to Flaming Gorge Reservoir, while others will be stocked into a few new brood lakes across the state in order to start developing additional kokanee runs from which egg can be collected in the future.
Kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka) are a landlocked sockeye salmon that live their entire life in fresh water. Kokanee are native to British Columbia, but have been introduced in many states, providing populations outside their native range.
Kokanee in Flaming Gorge Reservoir spawn when they are three to four years of age. They spawn both in Flaming Gorge and the tributaries of the Gorge from September to November. In September, early-run kokanee spawn in tributary rivers and streams. In October, late-run kokanee spawn both in nearby rivers and streams like the Green River and along rocky lake shoals. Kokanee die after they spawn and provide food for a variety of fish-eating birds and mammals, as well as other aquatic inhabitants.
Kokanee in non-breeding conditions have bright silver sides and dark grey to blue-grey backs. There are sometimes a few markings on the dorsal fin and the tail is semi-forked. They are a gaudy green and red when they spawn.
“Kokanee are silver-colored until they spawn,” Walrath said. “When most people think of salmon they think of the bright red colors the fish exhibit during spawning season. The heads of spawning kokanee are green to black in color and males develop a humped back. Males also display hooked jaws called a kype. Females have some of the same features, but no t to the degree of the males. They really are an amazing fish.”