Cowlitz River Evaluation Program Annual Report for 2009

This report documents the 2009 Cowlitz River Evaluation activities completed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and funded by Tacoma Power. The report documents the activities in the Tilton Basin as well as the activities in the lower Cowlitz River (below the Barrier Dam). Most of the activities are associated with Tacoma Power’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license in accordance with the Fisheries and Hatcheries Management Plan (FHMP).

This report covers the following programs associated with fisheries monitoring in the Cowlitz Basin:

1. Upstream Anadromous Fish Program (Tilton only)
2. Lower Cowlitz River Evaluation
3. Resident Fish Program
4. Coho Sport Harvest in the Upper Cowlitz Basin

An additional report is presented in Appendix 2 that uses a genetic analysis to differentiate juvenile Chinook stocks collected at Mayfield Dam. The report is a summary of 4 years of data.