Homing and Straying in Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from Cowlitz River Hatchery, Washington

Abstract
The patterns of homing and straying of spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from the Cowlitz River, Washington, were analyzed, based on coded wire tag recoveries. Out of an estimated escapement of 41 085 chinook salmon, 98.6% returned to Cowlitz River and the rest were recovered in other rivers. Almost all strays were within the Columbia River system, and most were found in the Lewis and Kalama rivers, upstream of Cowlitz River. Straying was positively correlated with age at return and negatively correlated with number of returning salmon.