The dog days of summer are fully upon us. The predicted forecast for adult summer steelhead returning to the Columbia and Snake River basins is now, unfortunately, shaping up to be worse than expected (and it was already very low). However, it can be difficult to determine how accurate this forecast actually is because at this point in time the …
Science Friday: Turn up the A/C
Summer-time is here. That means hot weather and hot water, two things that don’t mix well with a cold-water fish like steelhead. As we suffer through the largest heat wave of the summer, we wanted to review a piece of research that looked at how adult steelhead alter their behavior and use micro-habitats to cope with warm weather and …
Science Friday: Ephemeral Streams Provide Key Steelhead Habitat
Previously we wrote about the importance of ephemeral streams to steelhead. These are smaller waters, typically in headwaters and tributary drainages, segments of which dry back in summer or that flow intermittently. Today we pick up the topic again because of recent developments on the federal policy front that threaten these important habitat areas. On July 27, …
What is a B-run steelhead?
Fisheries managers predict this will be a very bad year for returning B-run steelhead in the Snake River. The Snake, with its headwaters straddling the Teton Range on the Idaho-Wyoming border, is the largest tributary to the Columbia and its intact habitat and steelhead runs are vital to the overall health of Columbia River steelhead populations. Despite the high quality …
Science Friday: The different life histories of adult steelhead
Last week we reviewed the terms used to define different stages of the juvenile steelhead life cycle. This week we break down the life stages of adults and describe their different life histories, which are remarkably diverse. The adult steelhead life stage may be delineated into two categories: adults and kelts. Adults are fish that are mature or preparing …
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 is PNI about and why is it important?
Another week, another Science Friday post from Wild Steelheaders United. Last week we discussed the acronyms used in hatchery literature and management plans. Now we narrow the focus a bit to understand how these acronyms are used with one another to evaluate genetic risks associated with hatchery programs — we even offer some formulas for you to geek out on. …
Science Friday: What is introgression?
For this edition of Science Friday, we continue to define terms used in studies that evaluate hatchery steelhead (and often other species of salmon and trout). Last week we defined fitness and discussed how it is measured and why it is important to understanding the biology of steelhead. This week we take another step into the deeper end of the …
Steelhead 101: Defining types of steelhead hatcheries
Every steelhead angler is probably somewhat familiar with hatcheries. As we discussed last week, deciphering the jargon associated with hatcheries is important, but can also be difficult. This week’s terminology is more common-place, and many of you may be familiar with it already. But, just in case, let’s look at the terms used to broadly classify hatchery programs: segregated and …
Steelhead 101: Defining native, wild, hatchery and natural-origin
In recent posts we covered the basics of defining escapement and run size, and the ways these are measured by resource managers. Today, we turn our focus to the complex terminology used for describing and comparing hatchery and wild steelhead. Steelhead are typically referred to as either being “wild” or “hatchery,” but they may also be defined as being “native” …