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Author archive for: natasha
Illustration: Wild Steelhead Status Today
In 1996, NOAA fisheries separated West Coast wild steelhead populations into 15 Evolutionary Significant Units (ESU), or regional population groups with similar genetic, evolutionary and reproductive traits. More recently these have been defined as Distinct Population Segments (DPS). These separate distinctions allowed evaluation and listing, as necessary, of each ESU under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Steelhead Redd Video
Steelhead Redd from Wild Steelhead Coalition on Vimeo.
WSC Position on Elwha River Hatcheries
In September 2011 dam removal began on the Elwha River marking the beginning of the greatest river restoration project in history. Over the next two years, Glines Canyon and Elwha dams will be removed giving salmon access to over 90 miles of habitat, much of which is protected within the…
WSC Position on Wild Steelhead Harvest
Throughout the southern half of their range, wild steelhead have experienced tremendous declines during the last century and a half. While many factors have contributed to their decline, overharvest in sport and commercial fisheries has been ubiquitous, and today most populations are depressed below 10% of their historic abundance. During…
WSC Position on Klamath Dams
The second largest river in California, the Klamath was once among the most productive salmon rivers in North America. Drawing its headwaters from Southern Oregon’s Klamath Lake it drains southwest into California before meeting with it’s largest tributary the Trinity and ultimately running to the Ocean north of Eureka. Early…
Columbia Basin Hatchery Reform
In the Columbia basin where dams have blocked almost half of the historic habitat, and continue to hinder the recovery of ESA listed salmon and steelhead, they get the majority of the attention from the conservation community. The focus on dams and their impact is understandable but an equally important…
