1000's Of Salmon To Be Released Into Sakakawea

[Allen]

The Canucks would have a cow if the State threw salmon into DL.

Whirling disease.

 

[Ericb]

Just curiouse since they dont reproduce in Sak. I imagine even steralized salmon would make their short life cycle and try to reproduce and die. I wonder how big they would get if you could shut off their biological clock?

 

[deleted_account]

It's the only way they would ever stock them so I threw it in there, Never raised Salmon but trout and they thrived and grew faster than ever in warm water, Our mid afternoon water temps were right at the threshold point where they were supposed to quit growing but they didn't, They grew faster. The key was that they cooled way down at night and gradually warmed up by late afternoon. I'm thinking temps at 50' in Devils lake isn't too far off from the water temps at Sakakawea . I could be wrong but I just have a gut feeling Salmon would thrive in DL.

i dont think devils needs another predator fish. Do salmon even eat shrimp? can they sustain eating perch and whitebass? Water is probably way to warm anyway 'cept maybe the relatively small 50' basin in main bay...maybe

 

[LBrandt]

Do they grow that fast? Don't know that much about salmon.

 

[Bfishn]

I can't imagine they would do well on Devils, they struggle on Sak when it gets lower and they still have 100'+ water then. I think it really comes down to the forage. High water = good smelt population = healthy salmon population

 

[espringers]

Do they have fish ladders at that dam?

 

[JayKay]

Do they have fish ladders at that dam?

This: I thought I heard, or read, years ago, about a fish ladder. But I've never seen one at the tailrace. Then again, never seriously investigated.

There are chromers in the tailrace, and a pretty healthy population of Rainbow trout (very similar)(Chinook's mouth is black inside). Also, Brown Trout. They thrive on the smelt and cold water. Tailrace is still purty cold in August.

I would guess that the fingerlings could get through from the lake to the tailrace (sorta) unscathed. But they could never migrate the other direction unless there really IS a fish ladder somewhere.

I'd guess that DL is too warm.

 

[fly2cast]

Nobody has every accused reporters of being a smart bunch. They screw things up all of the time especially when it comes to science kind of stuff.

 

[RustyTackleBox]

It's the only way they would ever stock them so I threw it in there, Never raised Salmon but trout and they thrived and grew faster than ever in warm water, Our mid afternoon water temps were right at the threshold point where they were supposed to quit growing but they didn't, They grew faster. The key was that they cooled way down at night and gradually warmed up by late afternoon. I'm thinking temps at 50' in Devils lake isn't too far off from the water temps at Sakakawea . I could be wrong but I just have a gut feeling Salmon would thrive in DL.

50' and no major inflow in Devils lake vs 170+ and a little stream they call the Missouri flowing cold mountain run off in... sakakawea is most definitely colder... It is cold to swim in sak even at the end of july

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I heard there was once a fish ladder but it has since been removed... not sure of actual location or any real workings of it but it would have been cool to watch salmon run up it

 

[SDMF]

I heard there was once a fish ladder but it has since been removed... not sure of actual location or any real workings of it but it would have been cool to watch salmon run up it

They couldn't run up it, they'd have to swim. Salmon don't have any legs to run with ya goofball.

 

[Bfishn]

I think the ladders were back in some of the bays like Scoria

 

[Glass]

This is a very poor written article! All salmonids evolved to live in lower temperature water, not sure if DL is above that threshold or not. The life cycle of the Chinook is they migrate to the ocean in the first year of life (depending on if they are spring or fall determines how long they remain in freshwater). Males will spend 0 (minijack), 1 (jack), or 2-3 (adult) in the ocean. Females will spend 2-3 years (typically, occasionally they come back at year 1) in the ocean before returning to spawn. All die after spawn, and as far as I know even making them sterile does not stop that cycle. The size of fish we catch on Sak are the equivalent size of a jack fish they catch on the west coast. The adults will eat lots of shrimp, and smaller fish, the juveniles will start out eating insects. I dont think the size of freshwater shrimp is large enough for an adult salmon to forage on, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, just wanted to provide some information into their life cycle. As far a fish ladder on the dam here, I have never seen any signs of ones or do I think we have the need. Sturgeon will use ladders but not with much success, and I am not sure how much paddle fish use them.

 

[Riggen&Jiggen]

The game and fish don't have to stock salmon in the tailrace area to have salmon fishing in the tailrace. Salmon migrate up from Lake Oahe. The stocking just adds to the fish that migrate up to the tailrace. Also some Sak fingerling salmon go through the turbins every year. It has been documented that Sak salmon have been caught as far down south as Lake Francis Case in SD. The ladder the game and fish were talking about was on the creek that runs on the east side of the tailrace boat ramp. This would make it real easy for the game and fish to collect fish for eggs. For some reason they decided not to do it.

 

[DirtyMike]

Will salmon not migrate BACK to where they were released/hatch. If you were to catch them in the tailrace, they'd have to have been released there.

*that's assuming we're targeting spawning adults in the 'race.

 

[Chas'n Tail]

My only question is if the GF decide to try salmon in DL, do they need to wait a year to hear back from the sconis to see if they approve of having a nuisance species in their lake...?...#$%^&>:;:stirthepot;:;popcorn;:;rofl

 

[Riggen&Jiggen]

Most but not all salmon go back to where they were stocked. Some salmon will migrate up rivers regardless if they were stocked in a bay. So for the salmon in Oahe, Sak and Ft. Peck they all have a river they can migrate up. Even the salmon in Sak will swim all the way up to the Ft. Peck dam. Fisherman have caught salmon there before.

 

[Fly Carpin]

The Canucks would have a cow if the State threw salmon into DL.

Whirling disease.

Not that it matters, as they'd never make it to Canada in the low O2/high turbitity water of the Sheyenne and the Red, but whirling disease has very low occurrence in salmon. Much higher in rainbow trout. You know, like the ones that they stock in Turtle River, which is way closer to Canada by water than Devils Lake. Also whirling disease only affects salmonids. So I don't think the Red River/Lake Winnipeg watershed fisheries in Canada would suffer much

 

[espringers]

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

I believe Davy Crockett forgot to mention in his query was the salinity of DL. And yes, salmon will eat shrimp.

 

[SDMF]

Would they find deep enough water in the summer to stay cold enough?

Most of East Devils is 55-60'. Turn them loose into Stump, it's 70' deep there........

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I wonder if when they swim into the dam and up the hydros if they significantly reverse the generation of electricity?

That's how electric eels were invented.