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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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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 …

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Science Friday: Why is your lateral line different than mine?

In Science Friday by steelheaders

Most of us working on behalf of wild steelhead love our jobs. Still, after a long week we are ready to hit the water — and share some more Science Friday steelhead knowledge.   This week we touch on a study conducted by Andrew Brown at the University of Washington, along with several co-authors. The paper is here:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0059162   …

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Science Friday: When fish grow and die in California

In Science Friday by steelheaders

Soquel Creek is a small stream flowing into Monterey Bay about 70 miles south of San Francisco and is home to a population of winter steelhead. A group of scientists published a paper in 2009 that looked into seasonal patterns of growth, survival and movement of age-0 and age-1+ juvenile steelhead within this small California watershed.   Age-0 fish are …

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Trouble in Idaho

In Idaho, Oregon by Nick Chambers

By Michael Gibson:   No matter how you frame it, wild steelhead in Idaho are in big trouble.     While wild steelhead numbers have never really rebounded—as expected—after the listing of the species in 1997, 2017 and 2018 returns have been exceptionally poor. In 2017, fewer than 12,000 wild fish cleared Lower Granite Dam, the last of the lower …

The Maury Povich Steelhead Show: You are all the father

In Science Friday by Nick Chambers

Took a short break from our Science Friday posts to do some actual science (on Olympic Peninsula winter steelhead) and to weigh in on some important policy issues. But now, like anglers looking for fresh winter chrome: we’re b-a-a-a-c-k.   As you know, in the Science Friday forum we discuss a wide range of topics important to the management and …

The General Practitioner

In Oregon by Nick Chambers

  By: Sean Dahlquist   Today’s post was graciously provided by Sean Dahlquist. Sean lives on the Olympic Peninsula, where he loves fishing for steelhead and trout, and of course, tying flies. Not only is Sean a fine tier, but he is also a historian on the topic.  Check out Sean’s Instagram @sean_dahlquist page for more great patterns and examples.  …

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 …

Snake River Steelhead Recovery Plan Released by NOAA

In Idaho by Nick Chambers

By Rob Masonis   The recent release of the final federal recovery plan for Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook salmon and steelhead is a milestone in the decades-long effort to reverse the precipitous decline of salmon and steelhead runs in the Snake River system. The Snake was historically the most productive region in the Columbia Basin for spring/summer chinook and steelhead, …

The advantage of avalanches

In Idaho, Science Friday, Steelhead Files by Shauna Sherard

  Here in this timbered, steep, up and down country of Idaho, the forces at work are not merely wind and water. Here, the tumble of rocks and cracking of large trees has been important to shaping river habitat for centuries. Avalanches are not just territory for the backcountry skier. They’re good for steelhead too. Think of them like door-to-river …