Selection to increase survival of smolts in four successive broods of coho salmon

Survival from smolt to adult for full and half-sib families of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch was used to identify families with the highest survival rates at Big Creek Salmon Hatchery in Oregon. Adult fish from families with high survival were bred selectively for four consecutive generations in an attempt to increase smolt survival. A significant improvement in survival in the select line compared to the control after two generations of selection was not maintained in subsequent generations. We concluded that selection was not an effective method for increasing survival of smolts released at Big Creek Hatchery.