The Sinixt Confederacy have released their report on Chinook Salmon work carried out in Canada in 2024. In the summer of 2024, the Sinixt Confederacy, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and Upper Columbia United Tribes initiated a study of acoustically tagged adult Chinook Salmon upstream of Grand Coulee Dam, with 59 tagged salmon being released at Northport, WA.
Of the 59 acoustically tagged Chinook Salmon, 47 (79.7%) were tracked moving into Canada at some point during the tracking period (August 6-November 27, 2024). It is believed that 6 of the 47 tagged salmon (13%) that moved into Canada spawned at 4 sites. A total of 13 (28%) tagged salmon entered the Kootenay River during the study, with 3 (6%) moving upstream to the base of Brilliant Dam. A total of 4 (8%) of the tagged salmon moved upstream to the base of Hugh Keenleyside Dam. No salmon moved upstream into the Arrow Reservoir.
This project has demonstrated that the methods used are successful for monitoring adult Chinook Salmon released upstream of GCD, and that these salmon will spawn successfully in the mainstem Columbia River in Canada.
The full 2024 report can be found here.