[Gregory]

That's why I separate salmon/fall and spring/steelhead.I have seen thousands of spring/steelhead spawn in the main channel but not fall salmon.I am not saying they do not but the majority chose to nest out of harms way. The amount of fish that gets to be harvested is directly related to the amount of ribbon you see.The more ribbon the more fish you have meeting escapement.The better the escapement numbers the more fish returning that year.Maximum sustained yield.Killing as many fish as we can with out killing off the run.Fox guarding the hen house. I am a fan of the culvert replacement.I think coho and sea run cutthroat will benefit the most.It amazes me it has taken this long.I was cursing the damn thing 30 years ago.It is not rocket science. I am excited to see how the Elwa plays out.I wish the experiment was happening on a non tribal river.Not because of a prejudice but it means there will always be a non selective kill fishery at the mouth being fed by invasive hatchery fish.That river used to have some enormous chinook salmon.Some speculate they were a 7 year fish.Unfortunatey I do not have high hopes for the original wild salmon gene pool.Steelhead I do though.the gene pool is still intact above the damns.Just hope as they return to being andromonous they do not end up in a fish tote.peace

[Ski]

Thursday, March 30, 2017 15:16 PDT Olympic National Park News Release Extension of Recreational and Commercial Fishing Closure Announced for Elwha River and Its Tributaries The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Olympic National Park, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have agreed that it is necessary to extend the fishing closure in the Elwha River for another two years, from March 1, 2017 to June 1, 2019. The fishing closure applies to all recreational and commercial fishing in the Elwha River and its tributaries. A fishing moratorium in these waters has been in place since 2011 to protect depleted native salmonid populations, including four federally listed fish species which are needed to re-colonize habitats between and upstream of the two former dam sites. Mountain lakes in the Elwha basin within Olympic National Park and Lake Sutherland will remain open to sport fishing from the fourth Saturday in April to October 31. As part of the Elwha Ecosystem Restoration project, Elwha Dam removal was completed in April, 2012 and Glines Canyon Dam was removed in August, 2014. Additional rock demolition occurred in Glines Canyon in summer, 2016 to improve upstream anadromous fish passage. Fisheries biologists recently confirmed upstream passage of adult Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, winter and summer steelhead and bull trout past the former Glines Canyon Dam site. Those species, as well as pink salmon, chum salmon, and Pacific lamprey have now been documented upstream of the former Elwha Dam site. The restoration of salmonid spawning and rearing in habitats upstream of the former Glines Canyon Dam is paramount to successful restoration. These early re-colonizers play an important role in establishing spawning and juvenile rearing in habitats of the upper watershed. To date, low numbers of Chinook salmon, summer steelhead, and bull trout have been observed as high upstream as the Hayes River confluence. The Elwha project partners are annually evaluating spawner abundance, extent of distribution, and juvenile production throughout the system using a variety of tools including sonar, redd surveys, radio telemetry, snorkel surveys, smolt trapping, and environmental DNA. Recreational and commercial fishing will resume when there is broad distribution of spawning adults in newly accessible habitats above the former dam sites, when spawning occurs at a rate that allows for population growth and diversity, and when there is adequate escapement and a harvestable surplus. The salmon and steelhead populations are expanding into newly opened habitats, but are not yet approaching the recovery objectives. Monitoring ecosystem recovery in the Elwha is a cooperative effort among Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Olympic National Park, NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. For updated fishing regulations on waters within Olympic National Park, please visit https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/fishing.htm or contact Fisheries Biologists at 360-565-3081 or 360-565-3075. For waters outside the park, please visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ or contact WDFW’s Fish Program at 360-902-2838. -NPS-

[Pyrites]

Ski Thanks. Heartening to see pinks are showing up. It seemed they had considerable further crash between when Gorton delayed project and dams came out. Lamprey. Are they harder to survey? Are they likely higher in system, but with small numbers that are not seen?

[Ski]

Friday July 13, 2018 16:45 PDT WDFW FISHING RULE CHANGE Elwha River tributaries close to fishing Action: Closes to fishing all tributaries to the Elwha River in that portion of the watershed that is outside Olympic National Park. Effective date: July 13, 2018. Species affected: All fish species. Location: Elwha River in Clallam County. Reason for action: The tributaries to the Elwha River were unintentionally left open when recent regulation changes were implemented. The 2018-19 sportfishing rules pamphlet should state that the Elwha River and tributaries are closed to fishing. Additional information: These tributaries were intended to remain closed as part of the fishing moratorium that is currently in effect on the Elwha River mainstem and all tributaries to help facilitate the re-colonization of the Elwha River system following removal of two dams. Information contact: WDFW Region 6 Office, (360) 249-4628 -WDFW- (* emphasis added *)

[RodF]

This is only an in-river moratorium, not 1000 feet (which sometimes appears a lot closer...) off-shore the mouth of the river. "The Elwha Klallam tribe intends to fully harvest their lawful share of coho salmon." link "The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe intends to fully harvest their share of sockeye salmon." - link

[Ski]

^ I kind of wondered about that when I read that press release. Figures that that would be the case. (Because, as we all know... sportfishing accounts for such a huge percentage of total take, right? )

[Ski]

Monday August 06, 2018 17:26 PDT Joint News Release City of Port Angeles and Olympic National Park City and Park Officials Reach Agreement on Transfer of Elwha Water Treatment Facilities Officials from the City of Port Angeles and the Department of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service, have reached agreement on the transfer of the Elwha Water Facilities. The agreement was signed last week by Port Angeles Mayor Sissi Bruch and by National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith on Monday. Under the transfer agreement, the City of Port Angeles agreed to accept ownership of the Elwha Water Facilities in exchange for funds for maintenance, repairs, and other activities related to and associated with the facilities. The Elwha Water Facilities include the Elwha Water Treatment Plant, Elwha Surface Water Intake, Temporary Pump Diversion Facility, and area flood protection. These facilities were part of the water mitigation facilities constructed prior to the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams. Other mitigation facilities include the Port Angeles Water Treatment Plant, a state-of-the-art municipal water treatment plant that was designed to protect the City’s domestic water supply. It was transferred to the City in 2011. The surface intake replaces the City's former rock weir that was in the same location, allowing for continued water delivery to the McKinley Paper Company mill, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Elwha Rearing Channel, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe's fish hatchery. The surface diversion can also act as an emergency backup to the Ranney Collector, which supplies the City's municipal water. As part of the agreement, funding was added to allow the City to provide water transmission of up to 30 cubic feet per second to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s fish hatchery for a period of 10 years commencing on the date of transfer. Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles stated: “This new agreement between the City and Park Service is one of the important final pieces of the dam removal process and will benefit the entire community. The Tribe is especially pleased that it incorporates our previously recognized right to receive Elwha River water for our hatchery, which contributes to a recovering fishery that likewise benefits all.” The City and National Park Service will continue to work together to ensure that a smooth transition and takeover of the facilities occurs on August 14, 2018. The facilities have been operated under a contract with Veolia Corporation since 2011 when the dam deconstruction began. Dan McKeen, Port Angeles City Manager stated: “The agreement is the result of hard work that included the National Park Service, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Department of Interior. The City is pleased we came to an amicable agreement and now we can focus on an efficient transition and the continuation of providing water to our industrial customers.” The successful agreement is the culmination of two years of negotiations involving the City of Port Angeles, the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. “We are appreciative of the positive cooperation exhibited by the City and the Tribe during the negotiations and we are very happy to have reached a satisfactory agreement,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “The City and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are valued neighbors and important park partners.” The Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992 authorized the National Park Service to acquire the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dam hydroelectric power projects for decommissioning and demolition for habitat restoration. Removal of the dams began in September 2011 and was complete by August 2014. Dam removal reinstated the natural flow of the river, mobilized a high volume of sediment that had accumulated behind the dams, and restored sand bars, estuaries and beaches at the river’s mouth. The Elwha River is free-flowing and access for migratory fish has been restored. -NPS- -City of Port Angeles, Washington-

[Riverside Laker]

Here's an interesting report that our son-in-law did on the Elwha dams: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f0b02cf07a13491fbb9bc816e54b1180

[JonnyQuest]

[Gregory]

This is something I have been waiting to hear news on. I just hope that now that they can survive being Anadromous again.

[Gregory]

Here is a brief look into who John McMillan is. I met him a couple decades ago on a lonely section of river and felt like I finally met somebody that loves these fish like I do. I think it is going to take people like this to save these fish https://flylordsmag.com/faces-of-fly-fishing-john-mcmillan-steelhead-salmon-biologist/ Here is a podcast interview with his father I have not yet listened too. https://theop.barbless.co/whos-your-daddy-bill-mcmillan/

[Schroder]

I have a friend who lives on Freshwater Bay just west of the mouth of the Elwha. Her beach used to be pretty rocky and now after the dam was removed she has a beautiful sandy beach.

[Gregory]

https://www.usgs.gov/news/moving-mountains-elwha-river-still-changing-five-years-after-world-s-largest-dam-removal

[Gregory]

Have a friend who has surfs the mouth of the Elwa and he said it was fascinating to watch the changes out there almost daily.

[Anne Elk]

I always wondered why a 2nd dam was built. Was it just to increase power-generating capacity?