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ODFW Commission to vote on harvest of wild steelhead in Southwest Zone

In Oregon by Kyle Smith

By Kyle Smith For almost all steelhead waters up and down the West Coast, harvest of wild steelhead is not permitted. This policy is longstanding for many rivers and is based on a combination of factors (primarily the depletion of many wild stocks). And the prohibition of sport harvest of wild steelhead in Washington, Idaho, California, and much of Oregon …

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Science Friday- What Have We Lost?

In Columbia River, Oregon, Science Friday, Steelhead Files by Kyle Smith

Imagine going back in time 100 years to the Columbia River. What do you think the steelhead looked like then? How long were they? How much did they weigh?   In the early 1900s scientists working with the federal Bureau of Fisheries visited the Columbia River, which was considered the center of steelhead abundance for the Lower 48 – and frankly, …

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Remembering Russell Chatham

In California, Steelhead Files by Kyle Smith

  Renowned landscape painter, writer and fly fisherman Russell Chatham passed away on November 10 at the age of 80.   I never knew Chatham, but his book The Anglers Coast and the film Rivers of a Lost Coast – in which he is a main character – are gospel to northern California fly anglers. He was our prophet, spreading …

Steelhead days

In Oregon by Kyle Smith

Among the many charms of autumn is the advent of steelhead runs in many rivers. Where I live, on the central California coast, most streams aren’t yet connected to the ocean—until the rainy season begins in earnest, the sandbars that have set up over the summer between their mouths and the salt remain intact. That doesn’t mean there aren’t steelhead …

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Breaching Lower Snake dams could help water temps, say scientists

In Oregon by Kyle Smith

We’ve talked a lot about the impact four dams on the Lower Snake River have on dwindling populations of salmon and steelhead as they migrate hundreds of miles to and from their natal streams in Idaho.   But last week scientists highlighted one more data point in the argument to further prioritize breaching the four dams: warming water temperatures.   …

Science Friday: How do steelhead survive in intermittent streams?

In Science Friday by Nick Chambers

It’s the first Friday in October — officially, “Septober” for us steelheaders.   Unfortunately, steelhead runs across much of the West Coast have been down this year, and now there is another blob of warm water in the North Pacific. Things don’t look good right now, but wild steelhead have withstood these types of conditions before. As long as we …

Idaho needs your help on steelhead catch and release study

In Idaho by Nick Chambers

I’ve never given much thought to what happens to a steelhead after a successful release. I guess, Iike most anglers I assumed it ran upriver to spawn and die. Or if it’s one of the very lucky few, it might pull off a second spawn. For those of you that have been losing sleep over the years, worrying about what …

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The Choice for Hatchery Residual Steelhead

In Science Friday by Nick Chambers

Do you know that not all hatchery steelhead smolts actually migrate to the ocean? Some remain in freshwater. Either way, these O. mykiss face a future that could be heroic (survive long enough to mate with a wild steelhead adult female) — or not-so-heroic (survive the summer in freshwater but perish during the difficult conditions of the winter).   We …

A Genetic Basis for Summer and Winter Steelhead – a follow up

In California, Science Friday by Nick Chambers

By Charlie Schneider   We’re going to bring things full circle this week, with a look at how emerging science can meld with policy and restoration efforts to help reach our ultimate goal of improving steelhead runs.   A previous SF post (http://www.wildsteelheaders.org/much-at-stake-in-listing-decision-on-northern-california-summer-steelhead/ ) highlighted the petition to list summer steelhead on the Eel River in Northern California, and discussed …