Low flows and little or no spill predicted for the Columbia River in the spring and summer of 1977, coupled with the ineffectiveness of the bypass system, caused concern among the fishery agencies for passage of salmonid fingerlings at John Day Dam. In response to this concern, the NMFS, under contract to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, carried out a salvage dipnet operation at John Day Dam. The objective was to provide sufficient dipnetting effort to prevent a large accumulation and mortality of spring migrants in the gatewells.