The Elwha Files: My oh my, what have we found

In Washington by Nick Chambers

By John McMillan Should we invest in dam removal? It’s a question that many communities, businesses and policy-makers are facing these days — partly because of aging infrastructure and financial liabilities, and partly because of legal obligations to protect water quality and recover declining salmon and steelhead populations. To that, I say: let the fish tell us what works. One …

Science Friday: The latest from the longest running steelhead monitoring project in British Columbia

In Oregon, Science Friday by Nick Chambers

  Thank goodness it’s Friday. Fall is in the air and it’s time to get on the river! But first, let’s give our steelhead IQs another booster shot with a new Science Friday post.   This week we have a guest writer and scientist, Colin Bailey, a PhD student studying fisheries science at Simon Fraser University under Jonathan Moore (Moore …

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Not too hot, not too cold, the ocean must be just right

In Science Friday by Nick Chambers

Two weeks ago we were on the Dean. This week we go even further north, to Auke Bay near Juneau, Alaska, for our next Science Friday post.   The greater Juneau are is home to several rivers that host wild steelhead runs. Auke Creek is perhaps the most important of these feeder streams, as scientists at the Auke Bay Marine …

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Skagit to Open to Steelhead Fishing Once Again

In Washington by Nick Chambers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   April 12, 2018   Contact:  Rob Masonis, VP for Western Conservation, Trout Unlimited, rmasonis@tu.org, 206-491-9016 Nick Chambers, Wild Steelhead Initiative Organizer, nchambers@tu.org, 541-908-1329   Trout Unlimited and Wild Steelheaders United applaud decision to re-open Skagit River wild steelhead fishery, call for additional analysis of fishery impact limits to ensure consistency with recovery SEATTLE—Trout Unlimited (TU) and …

Frank Moore Steelhead Sanctuary

In Oregon by Nick Chambers

The story of Frank and Jeanne Moore has gained deserved attention in the past few years- from Frank’s service on the beaches of Normandy during WWII to his enduring love for both his wife and the North Umpqua River, to Jeanne’s stewardship as a botanist in the Umpqua basin. If you’re lucky enough to have fished the North Umpqua, you’ve …

Science Friday: Space, time, and maximizing habitat capacity

In Science Friday by Nick Chambers

All steelhead, all the time, here at Wild Steelheaders United. Over the past few weeks we have examined the scientific concepts and tools used to evaluate how productive a given stream can be for wild steelhead. Such assessments are an important component of managing a steelhead fishery — especially if the run in that watershed is ESA-listed (in the Lower …

Science Friday: Why are half pounders declining in the Trinity River?

In Science Friday by Nick Chambers

When anglers dream of steelhead, they mostly fantasize about fish that have spent 2-4 years in the ocean and return to freshwater to spawn as full adults, packing four or more pounds and brutish power into their physique. However, one of the most common forms of returning steelhead in some rivers is not the adult, but the so-called half-pounder.   …