Learning Center

There are four types, or species, of anadromous fish in our region. Anadromous fish begin their lives in fresh water and grow to maturity in the ocean before returning to fresh water to spawn. In the Mid-Columbia there are spring, summer and fall Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead trout. Spring Chinook and steelhead are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Chinook spawn from the upper reaches of four different tributaries flowing into the main stem of the Columbia River. After hatching, they may spend up to one year in fresh water before heading to the ocean where they spend from one to five years before returning to their native streams to begin the cycle anew.

Sockeye spawn in the tributaries that flow into a lake (for example the Little Wenatchee and White rivers that flow into Lake Wenatchee). Once hatched, the young sockeye spend one to two years in the lake before heading to the ocean, and then spend one to two years in the ocean before returning.

Coho usually spawn in the lower to middle reaches of tributaries. Young coho prefer to feed and grow for a year in calm side channel areas of a stream, and then migrate downstream to the ocean. They spend one to two years in the ocean before returning as adults to spawn.

Steelhead exhibit the most complex cycle of any of the species in the region. Like spring Chinook, they generally spawn in the upper reaches of each watershed. They can spend up to seven years in fresh water before migrating to the ocean, but most spend two to three years. They usually spend one to three years in the ocean before returning to the river where they began life. Some steelhead never migrate at all, spending their entire lives in fresh water as resident rainbow trout.

The main stem of the Columbia has populations of summer/fall Chinook spawning in certain places, while each tributary (Wenatchee, Entiat, Methow, and Okanogan) has naturally producing populations of spring and summer Chinook. Coho salmon are present in the Wenatchee, Entiat, and Methow rivers. The Wenatchee and Okanogan systems also have populations of sockeye salmon, while all four of the mid-Columbia tributaries have naturally occurring populations of steelhead.