A group of scientists recently conducted a study that links higher steelhead death rates to low water levels and the amount of vineyard acreage upstream.  In the late summer and early fall of dry years, when water is at a premium not only for irrigation but also to encase the vines in ice during a unexpected freeze, steelhead can suffer up to a 70 percent mortality rate. Continue reading →

It has long been assumed that a bonefish’s movement is generally confined to one area—in and around a particular flat, for instance. Research done by the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust has found this to generally be true, with certain exceptions. Of the fish tagged in the Florida Keys, 42% were recaptured at or near their tagging location, while 70% were recaptured within five miles of their tagging location.

However, some bonefish have been recaptured 100 miles or more from their original tagging location. Fish tagged in Biscayne Bay have been recaptured in the Lower Keys and two fish tagged in the Upper Keys were recaptured on Andros Island in the Bahamas.

The results of the BTT’s studies in the Keys, Bahamas and Belize highlight the importance of protecting particular habitats and locations, but also larger areas for those fish that do undertake significant movement.

Many interest groups—fly fishers, kayakers and naturalists alike—celebrated the removal of the Conduit Dam on the White Salmon River and the Elwha Dam on the Elwha River.  Filmmaker Andy Maser, in “Year of the River: Episode 1,” captures the celebration surrounding the removal of the two dams.

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