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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: Date of arrival divides spring, fall chinook Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Oct. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News I noticed that the guys at Cole Rivers Hatchery are counting Rogue River spring chinook salmon and fall chinook salmon at the same time? How can they tell the difference exactly does that work? —Flat-Top Guy, Medford gym Hey, Flat-Top Guy. Nice to see you're back asking Since You Asked Central to answer the imponderables that apparently fill your thoughts while pumping iron at SYA's gym. And for a minute, this one had us stumped as well, but it turns out there's a better answer than the fall chinook look fresher than the spring chinook. The details actually are in the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Spring Chinook Salmon Management Plan and have been used at the hatchery for decades, hatchery Manager David Pease says. First, Cole Rivers raises spring chinook for release in the Rogue as mitigation for lost wild salmon spawning and rearing habitat from the building of Lost Creek dam. It doesn't rear or release fall chinook, which spawn farther downstream and were not impacted by the dam's placement. The official counting of spring chinook verses fall chinook at the hatchery is based on a long-held assumption that those wild chinook entering in September are likely late-run spring chinook and those in after Oct. 1 are early fall chinook, according to the plan. Under ODFW protocols, technicians don't use any wild chinook for spawning if they enter the hatchery after Sept. 1, Pease says. Those fish are placed in a separate pond and left there for a month. The day of reckoning comes Oct. 1, Pease says. Those in that isolated pond that died during September are deemed spring chinook, Pease says. The survivors are deemed fall chinook and get a one-way truck ride downstream for release at the city of Rogue River's boat ramp for release so they can spawn, he says. This year, 92 chinook entered the hatchery in September, Pease says. Twenty died and they were listed on the ledgers as spring chinook, and the remaining 72 were dubbed fall chinook and got that one-way ticket to spawning freedom, Pease says. —Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected] . To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501