The Oregon Legislature wrapped up its 2024 legislative session in March. Trout Unlimited (TU) and Wild Steelheaders United are pleased to report that the Legislature passed some important policy and budget measures for fish and rivers this year. Fortunately, some counter-productive proposals didn’t advance.  Monsanto Settlement Fund  This session, the Legislature established a massive grants program to fund significant natural resource restoration in Oregon for at least the next 50 years.   In December 2022, the State of Oregon settled a case with certain Monsanto companie ..read more

This fall, for the first time since dam removal, recovering Coho Salmon numbers were able to support a Ceremonial and Subsistence fishery led by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Washington’s Elwha River is home to all five species of Pacific Salmon, winter and summer steelhead, sea-run cutthroat, bull trout, dolly varden, resident rainbow trout, and Pacific Lamprey. Even among all the great rivers throughout the region, it was a remarkable salmonid crucible blessed with exceptional spawning and rearing habitat and cold, clean water fed by glaciers high in the Olympic Mountains. Because of this, t ..read more

TU-led advocacy secures funding for key ODFW program  The 2024 Oregon legislative session ended last week, and Trout Unlimited (TU) is pleased to share that the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) Klamath Fish Reintroduction effort received important funding to fully monitor the first returns of anadromous fish to the Upper Basin this fall.   The largest dam removal project in history is underway on the Klamath River. This monumental effort will reconnect over 400 miles of salmon, steelhead and lamprey spawning and rearing habitat in the watershed’s upper basin, much ..read more

Our Science Advisor, Gary Marston, collaborated with NOAA, WDFW, and USFWS researchers to study the loss of fecundity in Washington Chinook populations When evaluating the health of salmon and steelhead populations, there are a number of factors beyond abundance that biologists and managers need to consider, including productivity, diversity, and the spatial distribution of adult and juvenile fish throughout available habitat.   While all these factors are important, productivity is particularly important because it relates to how many offspring we might expect from each successfully ..read more

TU’s California Director Brian Johnson (lower left) joined Governor Gavin Newsom, Tribal representatives, and other conservation groups for a field tour of salmon habitat restoration projects at the end of January. The governor released the new California Salmon Strategy the next day. It’s been tough going for salmon and steelhead in California for basically the last century. Dams, diversions, pollution, and habitat loss have hammered many populations to the point where they are now listed or imperiled. The warming climate is intensifying the impacts of these factors. On January 30, Governor G ..read more

A Trout Unlimited initiative tackling rising threats to key steelhead, trout, & salmon watersheds Wild and native steelhead, trout and salmon, as coldwater fish in a warming world, are facing enormous threats. More than 1.5 million miles of America’s trout and salmon waters are degraded, and populations of these iconic fish run a real risk of disappearing. Scientists say that of the United States’ 28 native trout species and subspecies, three are already extinct, while half of the rest occupy less than 25 percent of their historic range. Twenty-eight populations of Pacific salmon and steel ..read more

The Oregon Capitol Building. Image: TU  On February 5th, the Oregon legislature commenced a “short session” that will continue into March. Wild Steelheaders United is engaging on a number of bills that would affect wild steelhead. Here’s our take on the state of play:  Monsanto Settlement Fund  There’s an opportunity to stand up a massive program this session to fund significant natural resource restoration in Oregon for at least the next 50 years.  In December 2022, the State of Oregon settled a case with certain Monsanto companies about alleged PCB contamination for $698 ..read more

Outstanding Resource Waters designations will aid in steelhead recovery and preserve clean, cold water Few habitat factors are as important for wild steelhead as clean water. This Christmas, steelheaders in Washington received a nice gift of clean water from the state’s Department of Ecology: designation of three river segments as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs).   ORW’s are water bodies with exceptional water quality, biological, cultural and recreational values. States have authority under the federal Clean Water Act to apply this designation to permanently protect such resource ..read more

TU’s Oregon Policy Advisor spends a day with Oregon State Police  In the Columbia Basin, Oregon State Police’s Fish & Wildlife Division plays a key role in conserving wild steelhead. Last month, Wild Steelheaders United had an opportunity to ride along for a day on the John Day River. Some fish were caught by anglers, and some citations were issued by OSP, but perhaps most importantly, the experience drives home the importance of fully funding law enforcement programs that protect America’s natural resources.    LAY OF THE LAND  Unlike nearly every other state, Ore ..read more

A new study sheds light on the alarming mechanisms and impacts of the rapid shift in egg size of fish reared in hatcheries The use of hatcheries to supplement struggling wild populations and augment harvest opportunities remains one of the most controversial subjects in the salmon and steelhead world. While production hatcheries often provide harvest opportunities where they wouldn’t otherwise exist, they also present significant risks to wild populations.   A recent review by a team of researchers led by John McMillan, the former Wild Steelheaders Science Director, of over fifty yea ..read more