Use of a fish health condition profile in assessing the health and condition of juvenile Chinook salmon

The fish health condition profile, a simplified system for assessing fish health and condition, was originally developed for fish hatcheries and feral trout populations in Utah. We evaluated the method during routine health assessments of juvenile fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) reared in net pens in the Columbia River in 1986 and 1987. The procedure yielded a thorough assessment of the condition offish held under various rearing conditions. This assessment was generally consistent with results of regular diagnostic examinations completed by certified fish health pathologists. The simplicity and availability of the system to most field biologists make it useful for monitoring fish in culture facilities as well as fish from wild stocks. This system may provide the framework for developing a more comprehensive smolt condition index that could be used to evaluate the general condition of juvenile anadromous salmonids before release or during out-migration.