Record numbers of adult Deschutes River steelhead pass upstream of Round Butte Dam
MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Record numbers of nearly 1,000 adult steelhead returned to the Pelton Round Butte hydropower project on the Deschutes River during the 2024-2025 run, which ends this month, Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported Thursday.
With more than 950 fish passed upstream of Round Butte Dam, the Upper Deschutes Basin is now home to more steelhead than at any time since the 1960s, the utility and tribes said. Scientists attribute this year’s returns to beneficial ocean conditions and improvements in fish management practices.
Here's the rest of the PGE-Warm Springs news release about the season's record steelhead return:
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (the Tribes) and Portland General Electric – co-owners of the three-dam Pelton Round Butte hydropower complex – began an ambitious effort in 2010 to reintroduce ocean-going salmon and steelhead to the Deschutes River after more than 50 years without passage for these species. Scientific modeling completed in the 1990s established an annual goal of 955 steelhead adults upstream, based on the available habitat for fish.
“While the return of steelhead fish to the watershed marks a significant milestone, the journey toward full restoration continues,” said Austin Smith Jr., natural resources manager for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. “The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs remain committed to ongoing conservation efforts, adaptive management, and education.”
Of the 950 adult steelhead passed upstream, 675 traveled through Pelton Round Butte’s fish collection facility as juveniles. Young fish from the Upper Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius Rivers are collected in Lake Billy Chinook at the Selective Water Withdrawal (SWW), a structure that enables fish to be safely transported around three dams to continue their migration to the ocean. The SWW also facilitates more natural conditions in the Lower Deschutes River by reducing temperature impacts from the dams.
“We're excited to welcome these steelhead back to the Upper Deschutes Basin. Their journey is remarkable,” said Megan Hill, senior environmental science manager at PGE. “Most of these fish passed through the SWW, traveled 100 miles down the Deschutes to the Columbia River, then migrated another 200 miles past Bonneville Dam to the ocean. After spending about two years at sea, they made the 300-mile journey back. This year’s run highlights the power of strong ocean conditions, combined with our collaborative efforts to improve fish passage and reintroduction strategies.”
Steelhead released upstream of Round Butte Dam since the reintroduction program began. Totals include reintroduction fish, as well as excess hatchery broodstock.
Most of the returning steelhead traveled through the SWW as juveniles in 2022, a record-breaking year for juvenile collection.
Since 2010, the Tribes and PGE have improved their ability to safely capture more fish through science-based strategies. These include the installation of a net that guides fish toward the collection area, a new stress-relief pond to allow fish time to recover after handling, and collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in the practice of smolt acclimation: holding young fish in-stream for a period of time to imprint and adjust to the river’s conditions.
Additionally, with more than two thirds of the steelhead lifecycle spent in the Pacific, recent beneficial ocean conditions likely played a significant role in steelhead survival and return rates.
In addition to the 675 reintroduction program fish, 275 Deschutes River hatchery-origin steelhead were also released upstream – a reintroduction strategy adopted in recent years. These adults, referred to as excess broodstock, are screened for disease, monitored post-release, and are genetically identical to the other steelhead from the upper basin.
Conservation organizations and agencies celebrate the record steelhead run:
“The DRC and its partners have been working over the last 15 years to restore streamflow and improve habitat in the Crooked River, Whychus Creek, and Metolius system to benefit these fish coming home. This marks the largest return since the efforts to reintroduce fish above the Pelton Round Butte Dam Complex began, and shows the promise of restoring anadromous runs back to their home waters in the upper basin.”
– Kate Fitzpatrick, executive director for the Deschutes River Conservancy
“The steelhead return to the Upper Deschutes Basin during the 2024-2025 run has been much stronger than we anticipated, and we are seeing evidence of widespread spawning. The adaptive management changes we’ve made in the reintroduction program have undoubtedly contributed to this strong return. Additional factors such as favorable ocean conditions and freshwater migration conditions also play a significant role.”
– Terry Shrader, Pelton Round Butte mitigation coordinator for Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
“This year’s large return of adult steelhead from the reintroduction program has been exciting to see, and a tremendous amount of work has been expended to make this happen. NOAA Fisheries appreciates the conservation efforts of the Deschutes River Conservancy, Deschutes Land Trust, local watershed councils, and irrigation districts. The Bureau of Reclamation has also been a great partner by storing and releasing water to assist with reintroduction. PGE and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have made improvements to their operations and collection facility, resulting in many more juvenile salmon and steelhead being passed downstream. Additionally, adjustments by the Tribes and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife have contributed to larger numbers of juveniles being passed downstream. We look forward to ongoing collaboration and more salmon and steelhead adults returning to the Deschutes River.”
– Scott Carlon, fish biologist for NOAA Fisheries
Using radio tracking technology, biologists will continue to monitor the adult steelhead released upstream to gather data about their movement and spawning activity. A subset of the adults, known as kelts, will travel through the SWW and to the ocean a second time. Others will remain in the upper basin to lay their eggs in gravel nests called redds, which have already been discovered in the Upper Deschutes Basin. In a few years, the offspring of these adults will begin their own journey to the ocean, following the current downstream to start the cycle over again.
More information about the Deschutes fish reintroduction program can be found at portlandgeneral.com/healthydeschutes.
About the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe, representing the Wasco, Warm Springs and Paiute peoples. The Tribes occupy the Warm Springs Reservation, which stretches from the summits of the Cascade Mountains to the cliffs of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. The Reservation is reserved for the Tribes' exclusive benefit by an 1855 Treaty with the United States. To this day, the Tribes retain treaty rights across their ceded lands and usual and accustomed areas that ensure the Tribes can fish, hunt and gather its resources throughout the John Day, Hood River and the majority of the Deschutes Basin.
About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is an integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to nearly 950,000 customers serving an area of 1.9 million Oregonians. Since 1889, Portland General Electric (PGE) has been powering social progress, delivering safe, affordable, reliable and increasingly clean electricity while working to transform energy systems to meet evolving customer needs. PGE customers have set the standard for prioritizing clean energy with the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the country. PGE was ranked the No. 1 utility in the 2024 Forrester U.S. Customer Experience Index and is committed to reducing emissions from its retail power supply by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. In 2024, PGE employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated $5.5 million and volunteered nearly 23,000 hours to more than 480 nonprofit organizations. For more information visit www.PortlandGeneral.com/news
