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.
FERC clarifies path to Klamath dam removal
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the partial transfer of ownership of four dams on the Klamath River from the utility PacifiCorp to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC).
A Portfolio Approach to Management: The Future of Puget Sound Steelheading
For the past three years, a diverse group of anglers with a shared passion for Puget Sound steelhead have worked to develop a portfolio of watershed-specific conservation, fishery, and hatchery strategies for that population. We’re excited to share with you a sneak-peek of the Quicksilver Portfolio.
Meet the team: John McMillan
We’re rolling on with Elwha week with more content on the people that have helped make the Elwha the Phoenix Rising from the Ashes. Today, we have the next post in our Meet the Team series featuring our Science Director for the Wild Steelhead Initiative, John McMillan. You may already know John from his Instagram account @rainforest_steel, or his Barbless …
The General Practitioner
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: Sand bars, lagoons and moving steelhead
Back to back Science Friday posts focusing on California and the unique challenges that steelhead face in the state. This week we pivot from juvenile steelhead coping with ponded pools to a look at juveniles that enter and live seasonally in lagoons at the mouths of creeks and rivers — a phenomenon fairly common in smaller coastal watersheds in California …
TU Chapter Angler Science Assists ODFW
As we all know, shortfalls in funding for our fish and wildlife management agencies are an ongoing concern. Severe budget constraints play out in many ways that impact fisheries management and sometimes angling opportunity. TU and Wild Steelheaders United are working both on-the-ground and in the halls of state legislatures to address these funding challenges. One of the first important …
Science Friday: The habitat that steelhead prefer, and how we use it to estimate capacity of rivers
By John McMillan How many steelhead can you fit into a given watershed? Put another way, what is the carrying capacity of a given watershed for steelhead? This question, and its answer, are important for steelhead fishery managers, and anglers, as we collectively try to rebuild wild fish runs up and down the West Coast. To be clear, we …
Science Friday: Warm water’s influence on the speed of upstream migrating steelhead
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: Steelhead in hot water, and what it means for catch-and-release
As predicted for summer steelhead in the Columbia River and many other watersheds in Washington and Oregon, something has happened to the fish. There are precious few of them this season. But it’s important to remember that ebb and flow in population size is part-and-parcel with these fish — and for all salmon in general. We likely pay more …