65,000 Chinook were released into Chapman Creek. The eggs were fertilized and brought into incubation in October 2022. The Chinook left incubation in February 2023 and were reared in our tanks until they were released. To release the fish we used a sein net and had two people on each side of it walk the net around the tank from one side of the other to wrangle all the Chinook to one side. Once the fish were all together in the sein net, we used a net to scoop out the fish and brought them over to the box. The box had a pipe which had flowing water from the tank that went into the box and through the hose and out to the creek. Once the fish were in the box, they swam into the hose and into the creek and will eventually go into the ocean. We went back and forth with the sein net a few times recollecting all the fish to get as many as we could. Once there was only a few left, we pulled the sandpipe that controls water levels and drained the tank to very little water – just enough for the fish to survive. We then scrubbed a path in the tank so it was not as slippery and got in the tank with a bucket and net to get the last few Chinook. These Chinook can spend 6 months to 4 and a half years in the ocean before returning to Chapman Creek in the fall to spawn as adults.
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