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Barging increases likelihood of hatchery fish straying into wild steelhead populations
"To repeat the obvious, that means in 2006 an estimated 42 percent of the spawners in this “wild” population were hatchery fish. Statistical modeling indicated the number of steelhead smolts barged in the Snake River in the previous several years was a strong predictor of PHOS (Percent Hatchery Origin Spawners)."
There may be no more amazing feat in nature than migrations undertaken by salmon as they complete an epic journey from freshwater to the ocean and back upstream to their birthplace to spawn. In some cases, salmon swim more than 1,000 miles upstream to spawning waters. In this final freshwater phase of their trip, adults follow…
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Removing lower Snake River dams is best chance for salmon, steelhead recovery
[et_pb_section admin_label="section"] [et_pb_row admin_label="row"] [et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"] Editor's Note: This opinion piece originally ran in the Idaho Statesman on Nov. 18. In his recent op-ed, Kurt Miller, the executive director of Northwest River Partners, an association of businesses that supports retention of the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers, argued against removing the…
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Lahontan cutthroat a poster child for modeling extinction risk
Researchers work to gather data on Lahontan cutthroat trout. Jason Barnes/Trout Unlimited Determining the conservation needs of at-risk wildlife species is complicated business. Federal and state wildlife agencies—and their partners — need to assess the unique characteristics of different populations to understand the conservation needs of a given species. They typically ask questions like: “Which…
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Monitoring fish movement is a vital conservation tool
Helen Neville, left, and Doug Peterson, right, install a stationary PIT antenna on culvert to track fish movement. Trout Unlimited photo. By Helen Neville How many times do you cross a river while heading to your favorite fishing spot? Unless you are looking for a new place to fish, chances are you don’t make a…
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Using modern genomics to assess thermal adaptation in Lahontan cutthroat trout
Climate change is a major threat to trout and salmon. Their habitat is quickly changing and there will be a lot less of it in the future. But we still don’t have an understanding of if, or how, these cold-water fish might evolve to adapt to a warmer environment. Identifying the genetic basis for any adaptation is…
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Climate change and Nevada’s Walker Lake
The relationship between fish, people and water in Nevada is a sordid tale, with Walker Lake, nestled in the western corner of the state, as a particularly interesting character. Walker Lake historically sustained one of the few lake-form populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout, growing large predatory trout similar to the much-famed Pyramid Lake just to…
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