Hot summer affects Chinook salmon

It wasn't just sockeye salmon that suffered in this record hot summer of 2015. Idaho Fish and Game's McCall Hatchery made some changes to accommodate over-heated Chinook salmon. "Because of the water temperatures in the South Fork being in the upper seventies, we were seeing a lot of mortality with fish that we were holding as well as fish that were in the river swimming free,' said Joel Patterson, McCall Hatchery Assistant Manager. "So, those fish were then transported here because of elevated temperatures and low flows." Normally, the McCall Hatchery houses catchable rainbow trout in the summer, but those fish were moved out early to lower elevation lakes and streams to make room for the Chinook salmon. Instead of spawning the fish at the trap along the South Fork Salmon River, it was done at the McCall Hatchery in late August and early September. Watch the video of Fish and Game employees spawning Chinook at the McCall Hatchery online at: https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/content/chinooks-hot-summer.