Carcasses will be separated into grades, as defined below, at the hatcheries when they are removed from the holding ponds. Salmon carcasses will not be graded according to flesh color. Department personnel shall grade all carcasses, and their decision shall be final. Any change in appearance due to delay in pick-up of carcasses shall not be accepted as justification for a change in assigned grade and shall not be considered as justification for not taking delivery. Grade # 1: Appears to be in excellent condition. Silver to light bronze skin color with scales and fins intact. No abrasions. Grade #2: Appears to be in reasonably good condition. Dark-silver, dark-brown, or reddish skin color. Fish may have worn/frayed fins and/or broken lacerated skin tissue of less than 10 percent. Fish has good odor and no ulceration. Department personnel will make the determination of adults and jacks. All decisions will be final and will be based on overall total lengths of fish (measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the longer lobe of the caudal fin). Chinook salmon that are longer than 24 inches are considered adults, and Chinook salmon from 15 to 24 inches are jacks. Sub-jack Chinook are less than 15 inches. For Coho salmon, adults are longer than 20 inches, and jacks are 15 to 20 inches in lengths.
