“It is our collective opinion, based on overwhelming scientific evidence, that restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River is essential to recovering wild Pacific salmon and steelhead in the basin.”
So reads a remarkable letter recently sent to the governors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana by 10 of the finest and most-respected salmon and steelhead scientists in the world.
Last Friday, Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) voted 5-4 to reform its Columbia River Basin Salmon Management Policy (C-3620), which guides salmon management in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
In the world of salmon conservation, criticizing government agencies can be a popular sport. By nature they are easy targets: faceless, powerful, bureaucratic and slow to evolve even in the face of glaring need to do so. But often overlooked and underappreciated are the many well-intentioned, dedicated individuals working within those agencies.
This is a topic we have discussed several times in the past, but given the critical nature of cold water refugia, and as the warming climate makes the warmest time of year even hotter, it’s a good time to review what we know about these crucially important habitats.
Science shows the four lower Snake River dams have negative impacts on salmon and steelhead. If we want to recover those fish, the dams must come down. This morning, Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited launched Snake River Week. We’ll take a look at TU’s new report- “Why We Need a Free Flowing Snake River.” Throughout the week, we’ll bring …
Last week, Wild Steelheaders United launched the John Day Steelhead Project, a crowdfunding effort during the month of May with the goal of raising $10,000 to help researchers at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University, and partners install acoustic tags on John Day steelhead to track their migration upriver. You can learn all about the research, as …
On Monday, we launched the John Day Steelhead Project raising funds for a study being conducted by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and a number of other partners. We’ve been impressed with the response to the crowdfunding campaign, with friends of Wild Steelheaders United coming together to fund $3400 towards our $10,000 …
The John Day Steelhead Project is raising funds for a collaborative research project between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, graduate students at Oregon State University, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and other partners seeking to better understand John Day steelhead migration patterns and how Columbia River dams may be impacting the health and abundance of these fish.
Sea-run Snake River fish species must pass through eight dams, four in the Snake and four in the Columbia. Barging some of them past these dams helps them avoid most of the harmful impacts associated with the hydropower system.
Late last month, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife held a public meeting on YouTube regarding thermal angling sanctuaries for Columbia River summer steelhead. Wild Steelheaders United covered the importance of thermal angling sanctuaries, also known as cold water refugia, on the blog just before ODFW held their meeting. ODFW’s proposals include thermal angling sanctuaries – limited closures to …
