WDFW explains salmon PIT tag project to Pateros city council

PATEROS –Representatives from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) delivered a comprehensive presentation to the Pateros City Council at its regular monthly meeting on July 18. Fish biologists Andrew Murdock from the WDFW Wenatchee office, and Chad Jackson from Ephrata joined Region 2 Director Brock Hoenes from Ephrata to speak about a cutting-edge spring chinook salmon and steelhead tagging project in the Twisp, Chewuch, and Upper Methow rivers to collect data on survival factors of the popular sport fish.
WDFW is teaming up with the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) that is funding the study by using Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags to gather data that will provide actionable restoration steps to improve smolt survival numbers.
The Methow River has experienced chronically low egg-to-smolt survival rates of about 1.3 percent compared to the Wenatchee River where the rate is 3.1 percent. The tagging and monitoring program hopes to help identify the causes of the low numbers.
Smolt traps have been deployed in the both the lower Chewuch and lower Upper Methow rivers where juvenile fish from all locations will be PIT tagged. A special PIT detection raft will be anchored near the parking lot on SR 153 along west shore of the Methow River upstream from the mouth. The raft will read the tag data on every tagged fish that migrates past the platform.
Road Safety Plan
The city approved a local Road Safety Plan compiled from data from the Washington State Department of Transportation following a review by the council’s Street Committee comprised of Megan Sherrard and Holly Bange. The data was collected between 2016 and 2020 and noted that six crashes – one a pedestrian fatality – occurred during that period.
The report prioritized streets with the highest pedestrian use that connects schools, parks, and the downtown. Those streets include W. Warren, E. Warren. Lakeshore Drive, Watson Draw, Riverside Drive/Bill Shaw Road, and US97.
Among other business the council:
• Approved the compensation amount of $40 per night per firefighter for the department’s presence during the July 4 weekend celebration.
• Adopted a resolution establishing swim rules for the city parks and splash pad.
• Authorized Varela & Associates to apply for Transportation Improvement4 Board grant funds for Americans with Disabilities improvements in downtown Pateros.
• Set an August 15 public hearing to update the Motor Vehicle Code and Park Code.
• Approved a Facilities Use Permit submitted by Tim Hamilton of the Tacoma Inboard Racing Association to reserve Memorial Park for the August 26-28 hydro races and pay the required ambulance service fee.
• Approved a Facilities Use request by George Pearson to host a hydroplane race dinner with live music on August 27.