Postrelease mortality of spring Chinook Salmon from a mark‐selective recreational fishery in the Yakima River, Washington.

This article focuses on estimating the postrelease mortality of natural-origin spring Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) caught and released in an inland recreational mark-selective fishery on the Yakima River, Washington. Using a two-year paired radio-telemetry study comparing 171 treatment fish caught and released by anglers with 194 control fish captured and released at a fishway, the study estimated a 12% mortality rate prior to spawning. Logistic regression identified anatomical hook location as the primary factor influencing mortality, with fish hooked in critical locations (tongue, gills, esophagus) experiencing significantly higher mortality than those hooked in noncritical locations (jaw, eye). These findings align with existing mortality estimates used in Columbia River spring Chinook Salmon fisheries and provide fisheries managers with data to balance harvest opportunities for hatchery-origin fish while minimizing impacts on at-risk natural-origin populations.