Recently we have described the various methods used by biologists and resource managers to estimate steelhead escapement, which is the number of fish that escape and survive fisheries (all forms of angling) to actually spawn in a watershed. Run size is the total number of steelhead that return to a watershed each year. In order to estimate run size …
Steelhead 101: Using weirs to estimate adult steelhead escapement
Recently we have described how scientists use redd counts and snorkel surveys to estimate steelhead escapement. This week we focus on weirs, a totally different way of counting steelhead. Rather than sending out surveyors to sample stretches of stream where they count redds or fish, the operation of a weir is much simpler. A weir basically blocks the river and …
Bill that protects Methow River from mining moves forward
A bill that would protect lands in Okanagan County from mining is moving forward after a markup in today’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. The Methow Headwater Protections Act of 2017, S. 566, comes on the heels of a 20 year mineral withdrawal, cementing protections for an area known for it’s agriculture and recreational importance in …
Bill to honor WWII Veteran and steelhead advocates advances
Sportsmen and women stand behind protections for North Umpqua Washington D.C. — The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee marked up a bill that would protect more than 100,000 acres of habitat important to North Umpqua steelhead in Oregon. The Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Bill, S. 513, honors World War II Veteran, Frank Moore and …
Steelhead 101: Using snorkel surveys to estimate adult steelhead escapement
Another week, another post on how scientists and fisheries managers measure steelhead escapement. Last week, we described redd counts and why they are an important tool. This week, we review snorkel surveys. Snorkel surveys entail divers swimming in the river and visually counting adult steelhead. Like redd counts, snorkel surveys do not cover an entire river, but rather break …
“Four is enough.”
A new battle cry for a grassroots movement to improve steelhead management without new regulations. By Bill Herzog Last fall on Oregon’s upper Deschutes, some of the most influential minds on wild steelhead gathered in Maupin for a “Steelhead Summit.” Maupin, center-punched into the heart of Oregon, is a tiny desert town famous for two things: trout and …
Steelhead 101: Using redd counts to estimate escapement of steelhead
Last week we defined the terms run size and escapement. If you didn’t see the post, check it out. This week we will discuss how fisheries managers actually measure escapement for wild steelhead using redd counts, and some of the challenges they face in doing so. We begin with escapement because it is usually measured first, and …
Steelhead 101: Escapement
One thing is certain — science is loaded with jargon. You almost need a PhD just to understand some of the technical language. While technical language is valuable to those that study and manage steelhead, it can also detract from sharing and explaining key messages – particularly in situations where various terms are bandied about without definition. For example, I …
Wild Rivers, Wild Steelhead
What are the keys to successful wild steelhead conservation? What can you do to help this cause? How do steelhead differ from other salmonids in their sexual behavior? For answers to these and many other questions about wild steelhead, as well as some of the best steelhead stories ever told, please join Wild Steelheaders United for an evening of science, …
Seafood Watch Sends Wrong Message to Consumers about Olympic Peninsula Wild Steelhead
The 2017 winter steelhead fishing season is in full swing on the rainforest rivers of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula (OP). It is the first year under new sport fishing rules adopted by Washington State that prohibit harvest of wild steelhead, require use of barbless hooks and prohibit fishing with bait. Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited led the …