DART Adult Passage Visual Counts Metadata & Glossary

Adult Passage Visual Counts Locations with Data Inventories
Abbrev Inventory 1 Project/Dam 2 River Primary Data Source
WFF Willamette Falls (Sullivan Project) Willamette Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
BON Bonneville Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
LYL Lyle Falls Klickitat Yakima Klickitat Fisheries Project
TDA The Dalles Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
JDA John Day Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
MCN McNary Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
IHR Ice Harbor Snake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
LMN Lower Monumental Snake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
LGS Little Goose Snake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
LWG Lower Granite Snake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
PRO Prosser Yakima Yakima Klickitat Fisheries Project
ROZ Roza Yakima Yakima Klickitat Fisheries Project
PRD Priest Rapids Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [1962-1998] and Grant County PUD [1999-present]
WAN Wanapum Columbia Grant County PUD
RIS Rock Island Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [1977-2000] and Chelan County PUD [2001-present]
TUM Tumwater Wenatchee Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and Chelan County PUD
RRH Rocky Reach Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [1977-2000] and Chelan County PUD [2001-present]
WEL Wells Columbia U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [1977-2001] and Douglas County PUD [2002-present]
ZOS Zosel Okanogan Colville Tribes Fish & Wildlife (OBMEP)
  1. Click on the data inventory icon to view the DART Adult Passage Data Inventory for All Species and All Years. This information is displayed in a new browser window.
  2. Click on the Project name to view additional information about that project, including operating agency, construction dates, DART datasets, and project photo. This information is displayed in a new browser window.
  3. Sites listed in "migration" order.

USACE Dams Video and Live Counting: From November through March, video tape fish counting occurs at US Army Corps of Engineers dams with fish ladders on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Fish counting by video tape takes at least a few days to process: the fish counters have to make, collect, and read the tapes, and then submit their fish counts. DART retrieves and posts the data as soon as it is made available. On April 1, live fish counting resumes at all 8 Columbia River and Snake River Corps dams with fish ladders: from April through October each year for 16 hours each day, fish counters working at each fish ladder look directly into the fish ladders to count the fish passing by.

Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, McNary, Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite: On March 10, 2011, DART's Adult Passage data from the Army Corps dams--Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, McNary, Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite--were updated in their entirety (1938-2011) to reflect the numbers currently reported by the US Army Corps Portland District. The updates included replacement of manually entered data from printed reports, the inclusion of historical data previously missing from DART, and the correction of counts that have been updated.

Lyle Adult Trap at Lyle Falls: Daily counts represent number of fish caught in the adult fish trap at Lyle Falls Fishway (Klickitat River RM 2.4). With the exception of some fish that are collected for hatchery broodstock purposes, the vast majority of these fish are returned to the fishway to continue migrating upriver after sampling. The counts do not include fish that ascended the natural waterfalls or fish that passed through the fishway on non-trapping days. Some unknown-origin fish are recorded during fish counting that occurs as fish are returned directly to the fishway without handling or sampling. Data is provisional and subject to change following review and validation. http://www.ykfp.org/klickitat/Data_lyleadulttrap.htm

Willamette Falls Video Counting: Fish counting through Willamette Falls fishway occurs at the main viewing window. Video cameras and time lapsed video recorders are used to record fish passage 24 hrs/day, 365 days/year. The ODFW schedule for reviewing the tapes is Monday through Friday. It takes most of the day to accurately review one day of fish passage on tape when the counts are high.

Individual Status Reports

Bonneville Dam: Lamprey is the combined count from the fish counting windows at Bonneville, reported daily. LPS is the count from the Lamprey Passage Systems (LPS) at Bonneville. The fish counting windows and LPS are mutually exclusive. LPS are located at Bradford Island, Washington Shore and Cascades Island. LPS were opened in 2009 and counting started in June 2010. NOAA's LPS lamprey counts at Bonneville for 2011 are not available to the public until motion trigger images and data logger tallies can be compared to resolve the status of lamprey passage during data gaps and anomalous data series. This comparison is expected during the winter of 2011-12.

Mid-Columbia Lamprey: Douglas County PUD is currently planning to translocate lamprey (trapped at Priest Rapids Dam) upstream of Wells Dam for 5 years (2018-2022), and Grant County PUD is currently planning to translocate lamprey (trapped at Priest Rapids Dam) upstream of Rock Island Dam for as long as 10 years (2018-2027).

In 2023, Grant County PUD trapped 1,591 adult lamprey at Priest Rapids Dam and transported/released 577 of the fish upstream of Rock Island Dam. Douglas County PUD transported/released the remaining 1,014 lamprey upstream of Wells Dam. Therefore, the ladder counts for lamprey at Rock Island and Rocky Reach dams underestimate the actual numbers of lamprey that successfully passed both projects. The total lamprey passage for Rock Island Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 9,222 lamprey. The total lamprey passage for Rocky Reach Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 8,658 lamprey.

In 2022, Grant County PUD trapped 2,300 adult lamprey at Priest Rapids Dam and transported/released 1,500 of the fish upstream of Rock Island Dam. Douglas County PUD transported/released the remaining 800 lamprey upstream of Wells Dam. Therefore, the ladder counts for lamprey at Rock Island and Rocky Reach dams underestimate the actual numbers of lamprey that successfully passed both projects. The total lamprey passage for Rock Island Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 12,932 lamprey. The total lamprey passage for Rocky Reach Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 11,749 lamprey.

In 2021, Grant County PUD trapped 461 adult lamprey at Priest Rapids Dam. Douglas County PUD transported/released all 461 fish upstream of Wells Dam. The total lamprey passage for Rock Island Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 1,186 lamprey. The total lamprey passage for Rocky Reach Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 1,148 lamprey.

In 2020, Grant County PUD trapped 354 adult lamprey at Priest Rapids Dam. Douglas County PUD transported/released all 354 fish upstream of Wells Dam. The total lamprey passage for Rock Island Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 834 lamprey. The total lamprey passage for Rocky Reach Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 673 lamprey.

In 2019, Grant County PUD trapped 263 adult lamprey at Priest Rapids Dam and transported/released 111 of the fish upstream of Rock Island Dam. Douglas County PUD transported/released the remaining 152 lamprey upstream of Wells Dam. The total lamprey passage for Rock Island Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 1,330 lamprey. The total lamprey passage for Rocky Reach Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 1,058 lamprey.

In 2018, Grant County PUD trapped 851 adult lamprey at Priest Rapids Dam and transported/released 177 of the fish upstream of Rock Island Dam. Douglas County PUD transported/released the remaining 674 lamprey upstream of Wells Dam. Therefore, the ladder counts for lamprey at Rock Island and Rocky Reach dams underestimate the actual numbers of lamprey that successfully passed both projects. The total lamprey passage for Rock Island Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 5,849 lamprey. The total lamprey passage for Rocky Reach Dam, with the translocated fish included, is 5,892 lamprey.

Rocky Reach Dam, June 8-9, 2005: Video was lost at Rocky Reach Dam from 1751 hours on 8 June and was not returned to operation until 0729 hours on 9 June. As a result, the adult passage counts at Rocky Reach Dam are incomplete for both days.

Tumwater Dam: Some video counts between 8/22/2011 9:19am to 9/05/2011 9:36am and between 9/23/2011 11:28am to 10/19/2011 7:52pm were not recorded, so passage counts during this period remain incomplete. Spring Chinook daily counts from 8/1/2011 - 9/15/2011 were adjusted to reflect know fallbacks from PIT tag analysis (M.Hughes, pers. com.).
Missing video counts: 7/27/12-7/30/12, 12/05/12-12/07/12, 12/17/12-12/21/12, and 12/29/12-01/01/13. Passage counts during these periods remain incomplete. Estimated sockeye passage during 2012: 66,520 fish. This run escapement includes an estimate for the number of sockeye that passed Tumwater during periods of missing video. Contact Chelan County PUD at 509-661-4559 for additional information pertaining to counts of Sockeye Salmon at Tumwater Dam.

Wanapum Dam, 2014:There were no adult passage fish counts at Wanapum Dam in 2014 due to a fracture discovered on the spillway in February 2014. The Reservoir elevation was lowered to reduce stress on the structure. The lowered reservoir made the regular fish ladder facilities and counting equipment inoperable. GCPUD was able to make modifications for fish passage at the dam, but a count was not taken at the dam.

Wells Dam, Lamprey Research, 2007-2008: The Lamprey adult passage counts at Wells Dam are not reflective of actual run size during 2007-2008. Trapping, monitoring, and research efforts at Wells Dam artificially lowered the passage numbers for Lamprey; i.e., more fish would have passed without tagging and trapping efforts.

Willamette Falls: The Willamette Falls fish ladder was not operational on the following dates:

  • 11/29/2005-12/1/2005, 12/6/2005-12/8/2005, 12/13/2005-12/14/2005
  • 8/26/2008-9/21/2008
  • 8/23/2010-8/27/2010
  • 8/28/2020-10/5/2020: The Willamette Falls fishway was shut down for repairs from August 28 - October 5, 2020, which precluded passage above the falls. The extended fishway closure resulted in delayed migration and large numbers of fish holding below the falls. No pinniped activity was observed below the falls during this time period and no fish mortality events were reported suggesting the closure did not result in a significant loss in the fish population.

Zosel Dam

Zosel Dam 2017 data notes.
In 2017, the Zosel Dam video system did not begin operating until August 21, 2017, when the spillway gates were finally lowered and fish resumed full use of the fishways. Therefore, all of the steelhead run and the peak of the sockeye run were not counted in 2017. Gates were open: March 23, 2017 through August 21, 2017.

Zosel Dam 2016 data notes.
In 2016, the Zosel Dam video system did not begin operating until June 1, 2016, when the spillway gates were finally lowered and fish resumed full use of the fishways. Therefore, most of the steelhead run was not counted in 2016. Gates were open: April 8, 2016 through June 1, 2016.

Zosel Dam 2015 data notes.
In 2015, the Zosel Dam video system began operating on March 11, 2015, when the spillway gates were finally lowered and fish resumed full use of the fishways. Most of the steelhead run was counted in 2015 but counts may have been affected when gates were open from March 23, 2015 through April 3, 2015 and May 22, 2015 through June 10, 2015.

Zosel Dam 2014 data notes.
In 2014, the Zosel Dam video system did not begin operating until June 5, 2014, when the spillway gates were finally lowered and fish resumed full use of the fishways. Therefore, most of the steelhead run was not counted in 2014. Gates were open: February 15, 2014 through April 7, 2014 and May 3, 2014 through June 5, 2014.

Zosel Dam 2011 - 2013 data notes.
The Zosel Dam spillway gates were opened to allow for spring runoff during the periods of
May 7, 2011 through August 7; 2011;
April 26, 2012 through August 9, 2012;
and May 4, 2013 through July 20, 2013;
during which, an unknown number of salmonids may have passed through the spillway undetected by the video system.

Zosel Dam 2010 data notes.
  1. Equipment failure resulted in a loss of data from the right bank ladder (half of the sampling area at Zosel Dam, WA) August 25th through October 31.
  2. Linear regression was used to estimate the missed number of sockeye passing through the right bank ladder during the time data were lost (see Miller, BM, JL Panther, and JA Arterburn. 2010. 2010 Annual Report. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, Omak, WA. located at http://www.cctobmep.com/media/files/2010_OBMEP_Annual_Report.pdf)
  3. No steelhead were observed in the left bank ladder during the time of equipment failure; therefore, no estimated number of missed steelhead were generated. Steelhead do not typically pass Zosel Dam during the time equipment failed.
  4. A relatively small number of Chinook were observed during the time of equipment failure, and it was not possible to use linear regression analysis to predict missed numbers of fish. Using the proportion of sockeye passing on the left versus the right bank ladders, potentially 127 Chinook passed the right bank ladder during the time equipment failed. However, there is no certainty associated with this number, therefore this estimate was not included in the total number of Chinook reported for 2010.

Zosel Dam 2008 data notes.
Zosel Dam estimated 2008 adult sockeye passage counts missed due to equipment malfunction.
15 May 12:00 - 20 May 12:00 = 0
17 Jul 00:00 - 18 Jul 19:00 = 6678
09 Aug 10:00 - 12 Aug 12:00 = 649
31 Aug 00:00 - 04 Sep 10:00 = 570
Total Missed Sockeye count = 7897
Initial 2008 Sockeye count = 77533
Revised 2008 Sockeye count = 85430
At this time, missed sockeye counts are not reflected in query results.

USACE Data Disclaimer: These data are furnished with the understanding that the Corps of Engineers makes no warranties concerning the accuracy, reliability, or suitability of the data for any particular purpose.

Yakima Klickitat Fisheries Project Data: Historical daily counts for Roza Dam for the years 1940-1967 and 1982-1985 were obtained and loaded from data provided courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Yakima office. In years where daily counts are not available, the Yakama Nation has provided weekly counts with data assigned to an arbitrary day in the week for which counts are available. This is the case for Prosser Dam for the years 1983-1991 and for Roza Dam for the years 1986-1990. [Text from the Yakima Klickitat Fisheries Project web page, http://ykfp.org/adultcounts.htm.]

Tumwater Dam: Adult passage data for Tumwater Dam is the combination of released counts, referring to fish passed upstream of the dam and allowed to spawn naturally, and collected counts, referring to fish retained for hatchery broodstock. The Chinook adult passage counts are the sum of hatchery spring, hatchery summer, wild spring, and wild summer chinook as reported by WDFW and Chelan PUD. The Jack Chinook adult passage counts are the sum of hatchery spring, hatchery summer, wild spring, and wild summer jack chinook as reported by WDFW and Chelan PUD.

Adult Species Inventory

Click on a species name in the list to view all locations and year range inventory information for Adult Passage Visual Count dataset.

Run Schedules for Adult Chinook

Current (2003) Adult Chinook Run Schedules
as reported by ODFW, USACE, and YKFP
Project Spring Summer Fall
Willamette (ODFW)
Willamette Falls 1/1-8/15 None 8/16-12/31
Lower Columbia
Bonneville 3/15-5/31 6/1-7/31 8/1-11/15
The Dalles 4/1-6/3 6/4-8/3 8/4-10/31
John Day 4/1-6/5 6/6-8/5 8/6-10/31
McNary 4/1-6/8 6/9-8/8 8/9-10/31
Yakima River (YKFP)
Prosser 3/1-8/15 None 8/16-2/29
Roza 1/1-12/31 None None
Snake River
Ice Harbor 4/1-6/11 6/12-8/11 8/12-12/15
Lower Monumental 4/1-6/13 6/14-8/13 8/14-10/31
Little Goose 4/15-6/15 6/16-8/15 8/16-10/31
Lower Granite 3/1-6/17 6/18-8/17 8/18-12/15
Upper Columbia
Priest Rapids 4/15-6/13 6/14-8/13 8/14-11/15
Rock Island 4/14-6/17 6/18-8/17 8/18-11/14
Rocky Reach 4/16-6/19 6/20-8/19 8/20-11/14
Wells 5/1-6/28 6/29-8/28 8/29-11/15

Adult Passage Glossary

Chinook Run
Chinook runs (referring to the season when adults migrate upstream) are based on run schedules by project as established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Yakima Klickitat Fisheries Project. Sp = Spring, Su = Summer, Fa = Fall
Chinook
This field represents the total number of adult chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) counted at the dam (project). This includes only fish judged to be fully mature (age 3 to 5). This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Chinook 10 year average
This field represents the calendar day 10 year average for adult chinook.1
Jack Chinook
This field represents subadult but reproductively mature chinook counted at the dam. Jacks return after one year in the ocean, two to three years before typical adults. The fraction of the population that returns early may be fairly constant, which means that jack counts could give an indication of how strong the adult return will be in two or three years. USACE designates jack chinook salmon as fish between 12 and 22 inches in length. Salmonids under 12 inches in length are not identified as to species. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Jack Chinook 10 year average
This field represents the calendar day 10 year average for jack chinook.1
Steelhead
This field represents the total count of adult steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), both wild and hatchery. A few steelhead adults may spawn and survive to return to the ocean, unlike other salmonid stocks. The Steelhead field includes both hatchery and wild counts. Prior to 1995, wild steelhead data was not published on a daily basis. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Steelhead 10 year average
This field represents the calendar day 10 year average for steelhead.1
Steelhead Wild
This field represents adult wild steelhead (subset of the Steelhead field) and may include unmarked hatchery fish. Prior to 1995, wild steelhead data was not published on a daily basis. The wild steelhead column (SthdW) is a subset of the total steelhead column (Sthd). This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Sockeye
Adult sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) typically return to spawn after spending two or more years in the ocean; their counts are represented in this field. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Sockeye 10 year average
This field represents the calendar day 10 year average for sockeye.1
Coho
This field represents the total number of adult coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) observed at the dam; only mature individuals are counted in this field. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Jack Coho
This field represents the total number of jack coho, usually two-year-old, returning early to the river. USACE designates jack coho salmon as fish between 12 and 18 inches in length. Salmonids under 12 inches in length are not identified as to species. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Coho 10 year average
This field represents the calendar day 10 year average for coho.1
Shad
This field represents total counts of adult shad (Alosa sapidissima). Shad were introduced on this coast in 1871 and have since become quite abundant; they support a substantial fishery in their native habitat on the east coast of North America. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Lamprey
This field represents total counts of lamprey. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.
Bulltrout
This field represents total counts of adult bulltrout. Bulltrout daily is currently reported at three projects in the Upper Columbia region: Rock Island, Rocky Reach, and Wells. This field is the daily total passage count for the Graphics & Text and Composite query types, the monthly total passage count for the Monthly Summary query type, and the annual total passage count for the Annual Summary query type.

River Environment Glossary

Please refer to the River Environment Glossary

Calculating 10 Year Averages

The 10 Year Averages are calculated by DART for each calendar day of data at each project. For the current year and any given project/month/day, the data from the previous 10 years on that calendar day is summed and divided by the number of non-null data points available. Calendar day averaging was chosen because, historically, data observations begin on a specific calendar day. Calendar day averaging gives different results than day of year averaging.