By: Natalie Stauffer-Olsen, Staff Scientist, TU’s California Science Program One of the things that I have always admired most about O. mykiss is how adaptable and resilient they are. The rainbow trout, in both its resident and anadromous forms, evolved to take advantage of the most abundant habitats for their different life history stages as well as the genetic …
Not too hot, not too cold, the ocean must be just right
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 …
The Life Cycle of Wild Steelhead
Well, it is steelhead season. No doubt. “Septober” is officially underway. To celebrate the changing season we are re-posing the question that every serious steelhead angler should be able to answer in the affirmative: Do you really know a steelhead? Think about it, we spend thousands of hours pursuing steelhead, but how much of that time is …
Science Friday: Juvenile Density, Distribution and Habitat Capacity
By John McMillan New Year, new Science Friday! Last week we looked at the concept of carrying capacity, how it is estimated, and the most important habitat factors used to come up with those estimations. This week we shift gears a bit and review studies that illuminate how patterns in fish distribution can affect assumptions about carrying capacity. Recall …
Washington proposed rule changes need your input
We are approaching the end of an important comment period that will impact our fisheries in Washington for many years to come. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) is accepting public input on proposed rule changes for Washington State through THIS Thursday Nov. 30th and need to hear that overly-simplifying fishing regulations could harm fish and …
2017 – a Bad Year or Part of a Trend?
Ocean conditions are vitally important for wild steelhead runs — probably every steelhead angler knows this. But what does that phrase really mean? The ocean is a massive and incredibly complex system, and there are many factors out in the big blue that can influence steelhead in any given year. That is why it is so difficult to parse out …
Science Friday: The life stages of juvenile steelhead
We have spent the last several weeks introducing and defining a variety of terms used in steelhead management. This week, we shift to looking at terms related to steelhead biology, specifically terms used to describe different life stages of juvenile steelhead. Let’s start with eggs. These are the little round suckers that produce the fish. Seriously, everyone understands the …
Science Friday: What the heck do all those acronyms mean?
Science Friday! Another chance to dive into the weeds and define some of the jargon used when discussing, studying and evaluating hatchery steelhead. This week we focus on acronyms commonly used in hatchery management plans. Anyone who has read through a Hatchery Scientific Review Group plan or review, or most any resource management plan for that matter, has probably …
Science Friday: Tillamook Bay Steelhead
Do you ever wonder what we might be missing nowadays in terms of steelhead life histories? Although we can’t go back in time to answer this question, we can look at historic data — in this case from Oregon’s Tillamook Bay. By the 1940’s Oregon’s Tillamook Bay was a patchwork of homesteads and farms, appearing more like the present day …