Tippets: State of Atlantic Salmon, Dam Economics, Gila Trout Restoration, Thompson River Steelhead Protection, Florida’s Fisheries, Solution to Lionfish

March 23, 2016 By: Erin Block

  • Monte Burke interviews Bill Taylor of the Atlantic Salmon Federation about the state of the species and the conservation work of the ASF. Via Forbes.
  • A new study from Tacoma,WA-based Earth Economics shows the economic reality of dams. Kevin Lewis writes about the impact for the Snake River in a recent piece via Idaho Rivers. “The solution seems obvious. Remove the dams, taxpayers get relief, and Idaho’s iconic wild salmon and steelhead will rebound.”
  • Ben Smith reports on a population of Gila trout in Arizona and the habitat work that is being done to restore them to their native drainage. “The yellow Gila trout tucked away from humanity in a tiny trickle of water greedily ate our flies and made us forget about the thorns and brush that tore at our clothing,” he writes. Via Arizona Wanderings.
  • Len Piggin, president of Kamloops Fly Fishers, has filed an application with COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) seeking protection Thompson River steelhead that now number in the few hundred. Via Kamloops This Week.
  • Because of South Florida’s water management system, designed to provide irrigation and flood control, “the seagrass meadows in these iconic flats-fishing destinations are fast disappearing,” writes Captain Mike Connor. And along with it, fish populations are declining as well. Read more about “how the fishing capital of the world became a pollution capital,” via Hatch Magazine.
  • In Jamaica local fisherman and chefs have teamed up to eliminate the lionfish, an invasive species that threatens the native coastal ecosystem. Via GearJunkie.