SFEG staff and trained volunteers conduct spawning surveys during the winter on previously completed restoration projects. These surveys provide an estimate of how many returning salmon are using SFEG restoration sites and how many are accessing previously blocked habitat. SFEG has assisted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) over the last six years by supplying them with spawning counts on some of their index streams, such as Jones Creek, Colony Creek, Mouse Creek, and Powderhouse Creek. WDFW uses these numbers along with other index stream data to determine escapement totals for the Skagit and Samish Basins, and these data help to determine escapement goals for future salmon returns.

The number of chinook recorded this year (19 adults, 17 carcasses, and nine redds) closely resembles the numbers recorded two years ago, and is a marked increase from the parent run of chinook in 1999-00. There had been a steady decline in the chinook numbers over the last two years, until this year. Chinook were observed this year in Hansen and Jones Creek for the first time in two years. They were also recorded in Alder Creek again, where the strongest run occurred, including 18 of the 19 adults, and all nine of the redds recorded in 2003-04. Colony Creek and East Fork Nookachamps Creek, both of which hosted a small number of chinook in 2002-03, had none this year. Although there were some small females in 2003-04, not one chinook "jack" was recorded, unlike previous years.

Over five times as many chum salmon returned to our project streams this year (1,422) compared to last year (261). The chum counts were up on every stream they usually return to, and were observed for the first time in the upper watershed of the Turner Creek system. Hansen Creek's chum return has increased every year since we began surveys in 1998 (2 live adults) to 2003 (31 live adults). The chum return in Alder Creek has also increased every year (11 live chum in 2001, 83 live chum in 2002, and 266 live chum in 2003). There were also major increases in chum populations in Jones Creek (125 in 2002 to 655 in 2003), and Mundt Creek (12 in 2002 to 121 in 2003).

Over 2,300 more coho salmon returned to SFEG project streams this year than last year, nearly a 50% increase. From the 33 surveyed project streams that host coho salmon, 18 had an increase in numbers from the year before. Hansen Creek had a larger coho return this year than ever recorded before by SFEG (402 live adults), and has steadily increased from a count of 118 three years ago. Coho numbers also reached a record high for SFEG data in Childs Creek (308), Jones Creek (1,617 -the largest coho return since 1988 (1,640) according to WDFW), Alder Creek (525), Kennedy Creek (27), Mouse Creek (330), and Lyle Creek (194). NP Creek, on the other hand, had its second lowest output of coho in the last five years with only 192 adults recorded. NP Creek is the second highest coho producing stream in the Upper Samish watershed, and had 2,933 spawning coho salmon two years ago. SFEG has received partial funding from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fix a passage barrier to open upstream spawning habitat on NP Creek and improve populations of these coho.

This year we recorded more pink salmon than ever before (7,679) on our project streams. This year's return closely resembles that of 2001, in which there was a total of 7,565 pink counted. The pink count was down in Hansen Creek and Jones Creek, remained constant in Mundt Creek, and was up in Alder Creek (4,825) compared to the parent run of two years ago (2,915).

This year no kokanee were observed in any tributaries. Quite a contrast compared to the 68 kokanee counted in Mud Creek in 1999-00. The kokanee count had remained consistent in the Lake Samish tributaries for the previous three years with a count of four to five every winter.

This year only 12 live cutthroat were observed in SFEG project streams, the lowest count in the last three seasons. Two years ago a total of 75 live cutthroat were recorded There was no sign of rainbow trout in any of the streams this winter, though in previous years, rainbow trout were observed in Hansen Creek, Childs Creek, and Jones Creek. Steelhead surveys have been conducted on SFEG project streams for the past three years, and are still being conducted by WDFW at the time of this writing. The data have not been finalized, but the number of steelhead recorded (11) looks more promising than last year when not a single steelhead was observed. It looks like numbers will be up this year for steelhead, but consider that two seasons ago 32 live adults were observed in these same streams.

One Atlantic salmon carcass was found in Jones Creek this winter near the mouth (Skagit River junction). This is the first time someone has observed an Atlantic salmon in Jones Creek, or any other SFEG project stream.

The 2003-04 spawning season demonstrated an overall increase in the numbers of salmonids. SFEG observed more chum salmon (1,422) and more pink salmon (7,679) than ever before, while still maintaining a strong run of coho salmon (4,477), and a more typical year for chinook salmon (19). The number of cutthroat (12) has declined over the past few years, along with the number of steelhead (11).

I would once again like to thank everyone involved in making these spawning surveys possible this year. Thank you to Outreach Coordinator Lucy Applegate for building a great volunteer base which included volunteers Amy Hollingsworth, Maggie Rose, Lucy Everyhope, Marlies Slostad, David and Mary McDonald, Todd Woodard, Kirk Rutter, George and Carol Harell, Lianne Koenig, Sunita Sinclair, and Jennifer Weeks; landowners Anthony Hamerski, Ken Goodpastor, George and Joleen Sloniker, Floyd Kennedy, Susan, Benjamin, and Aaron Janicki, David Gribble, and Mike Wood; SFEG Interns Anna Casey and Paula Barger; Crew Supervisor Dan Jacobson; Restoration Technicians Bob Keller, Dwayne Massey, and Geoff Martin; Upper Skagit Tribe's Ross Fenton; and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Bob Chichester, Don Hendrick, and Angela Harris. We greatly appreciate all the effort that everyone puts into this very important part of salmon recovery. Thanks, and we hope to see you all next year.