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Unwrapping genetic gifts that tell meaningful stories of trout
Lately I’ve been ruminating about why I love genetics, a wonky field of numbers and theory where a true understanding of results only happens long after the field season — in an office, on a computer at that. Every time I get new genetic results it’s like receiving a surprise gift. So many processes — all this history we can’t see — shape the genes of all organisms, including fish. The genetic patterns we uncover, then, tell us real and important things about the conservation needs of these fish. …
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A Lahontan cutthroat trout story from someone who knows them best
This TU biologist prefers fish over people and canvas over cameras By Jason Barnes My comfort zone is not in front of a camera. I’d rather be camped out with my field crew planning a season of conservation work and talking about Lahontan cutthroat trout. My crew has historically been my family for the summer, and they are some of the very…
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Science leads to credible conservation
TU staff across the country and our programs utilize science daily As Trout Unlimited has grown and changed, we have been thinking a lot about what science means to our organization. It is an ever-evolving conversation, partly because we have an ever-growing staff applying science in their work. Whether hired specifically for TU Science or field programs, across the organization we now have, unbelievably, more than 30 staff with significant science backgrounds. We’ve grown…
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Hard work on Lahontan cutthroat trout threatened by hybridization
By Jason Barnes As one of only two lakes in the world to support a relict self-sustaining and naturally reproducing population of Lahontan cutthroat trout, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, Independence Lake is irreplaceable. We are no stranger to adverse conditions at the high elevation lake near Truckee, Calif., but even the…
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New York chapter documenting heritage brook trout strain in Catskills
By Ed Ostapczuk Science of genetics and DNA continues to evolve, and a New York chapter of Trout Unlimited is using such science to study wild brook trout in a small stream in the Catskills. The Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter is conducting a Catskill heritage brook trout study, in partnership with the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP). Late this past…
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Northern California summer steelhead could be listed by 2020
We love all steelhead here at Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited, but some anadromous O. mykiss populations may deserve more love than others. Consider wild summer run steelhead in Northern California. The available data for wild summers between Redwood Creek and the Gualala River (including the legendary Eel River watershed) suggest their numbers are greatly…
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