Biophysical Reconnaissance of the Morice River System, 1978-1980

A bio-manageability study of chinook and coho salmon was carried out on the Morice River near Houston, B.C. from the fall of 1978 to mid-1980. The objective of the program was to code wire tag at least 50,000 chinook fry from the 1978 and 1979 broods and as many incidentally caught age 1+ coho smolts as possible. The main purpose of the program was to generate capture and interception rates of the adults in the Canadian and American commercial fisheries, respectively, as well as migration patterns and survival rates.

This paper documents the biophysical parameters of the Morice River system, the capture and rearing methods, coded wire tagging and release, downstream migration timing for all salmon species captured, chinook fry rearing in the Morice River and adult enumeration and spawning distribution for chinook and coho. The paper also discusses implications for salmonid enhancement on the Morice River.