Wild Steelheaders United, call for Skagit River watershed also to be managed for wild steelhead CONTACT: Rob Masonis, 206-491-9016, rmasonis@tu.org John McMillan, 360-797-3215, jmcmillan@tu.org SEATTLE – Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited praised the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s decision, announced today, to designate the Elwha and Nisqually Rivers as Wild Steelhead Gene Banks. The groups strongly urged the agency also …
Steelhead in Orlando ICAST/IFTD report
Each year in Orlando the entire fishing industry gets together for their trade show, ICAST/IFTD. It’s the place where everyone who makes a living off the tug on the end of a hook gathers to see what is new, take orders from dealers and learn about trends in the industry, including conservation issues. With so many industry professionals present the …
New Conservation Atlas and Trip Planner: Custom maps with the click of a mouse.
The mapping applications available on wildsteelheaders.org have just been updated and now include two new cutting-edge map viewers – a wild steelhead Conservation Atlas and a steelhead fishing trip planner. Both maps are presented in an interactive format, allowing users to select layers to show on the map, pan and zoom to an area of interest, click on layers …
The Skagit River open for catch and release, why?
Recently a few of our members raised some questions and concerns about opening a spring catch-and-release (C&R) fishery on the Skagit River. Their primary concern was to protect the healthiest remaining wild steelhead run in Puget Sound — meaning there should be no C&R season — to prevent another population collapse like the one that resulted in the closure …
Oooh-Ooh, That Smell…
By Bill Herzog Can’t you smell that smell? It starts with the first real spring day, usually in early March. It rises to a crescendo in mid April, when hard rains or even a trip to midtown cannot dampen the olfactory onslaught. I’m talking about the tree bloom scent from alder, cottonwood, just the wild flowers in general that produce …
News flash: “Jailed hatchery steelhead released after being held captive for two years! Anglers rejoice!”
By: Rob Masonis That was essentially the message spread by various Puget Sound media outlets this week when the federal government allowed the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to release fish from several steelhead hatcheries after two years. The hold-up had been, until last week, the hatcheries had not received permits establishing they did not jeopardize wild steelhead protected …
What “once was” may still come for steelheaders
As steelheaders, we’re all familiar with conventional wisdom about steelhead fishing. The fishing isn’t what it used to be. You should have been here 50 years ago. Stories of huge fish and numerous multiple fish days, of fishing places that no one else had fished for weeks, or months. Tales of what once was, all centering around …
Oregon HGMP scoping comments
March 17, 2016 Sent via email to: OregonCoastHatcheryEIS.wcr@noaa.gov National Marine Fisheries Service Sustainable Fisheries Division 2900 NW Stewart Parkway Roseburg, OR 97471 RE: Oregon Coast Hatchery EIS Scoping Comments To Whom It May Concern: Trout Unlimited (TU), the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring our nation’s trout and …
Supporting steelhead in the Columbia Basin
Since April 1, 2010, anglers over 15, who fish for salmon and steelhead in Washington’s Columbia River basin, have been required to purchase a Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement (CRSSE). This tag generates on average $1.6 million annually to help improve fishing opportunities throughout the Columbia River Basin. Recently we made a push for the renewal and extension of the …
Rapid Genetic Change in Hatchery-reared Steelhead
Rapid Genetic Change in Hatchery-reared Steelhead By John McMillan Here is another paper hot off the press from Mark Christie, former researcher at Oregon State University in the Michael Blouin genetics lab, and several other authors. They looked into whether and how quickly genetic changes could be detected in the offspring of wild steelhead when they were bred in a …