Crews collected 724,000 eggs from Lake Sakakawea and the Garrison Dam Tailrace. The average size of Lake Sakakawea females was six pounds, the same as last year. The Missouri River females averaged 10.5 pounds, three pounds larger than last year, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF).
Plans are to stock 250,000 salmon next spring; 200,000 in Lake Sakakawea and 50,000 in the Missouri River.
Chinook salmon begin their spawning run in October. Since salmon cannot naturally reproduce in North Dakota, state Game and Fish Department and Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery personnel collect eggs and transport them to the hatchery, according to NDGF.
Salmon Spawning Efforts Complete
US - Fisheries crews have completed an annual salmon spawning operation on Lake Sakakawea after surpassing a 700,000-egg goal.
