Nov 06, 2006 - 04:06:26 CST
RIVERDALE (AP) - This year's salmon spawning operation in North Dakota was a success, the state Game and Fish Department says.Fisheries biologist Jeff Hendrickson said more than 700,000 eggs were collected from Lake Sakakawea and the Garrison Dam Tailrace.
"This will be enough for stocking in North Dakota, with some extra eggs for Montana," he said.
Because of low water projections for next year and reduced forage in Lake Sakakawea, Game and Fish will be stocking fewer salmon than normal.
"Current plans are to stock approximately 100,000 salmon," Hendrickson said. "Under normal water level and forage conditions, as many as 500,000 salmon are stocked annually in Lake Sakakawea."
Chinook salmon begin their spawning run in October. The fish can't naturally reproduce in North Dakota, so wildlife officials collect and fertilize eggs and transport them to the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery.
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