Conservation

Last week, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced the discovery of quagga mussels at the Centennial Waterfront Park (near Twin Falls) area along the Snake River. For those of us who've had quagga mussels invade our home waters, we understand the threat this discovery poses. Growing up where I did in Utah, quagga mussels were a fixed part...

Old Town is a well-known name in the watercraft space. Recently, they've started a content series called "Old Town Presents" and it focuses on telling conservation-themed stories that revolve around water. The third episode of this series just released, and it focuses entirely on conservation efforts around the famed Eastern Brook Trout. Brookies are native...

We've covered the wonderful news surrounding the Apache trout in depth here at MidCurrent. The fish is currently under review to be delisted from the Endangered Species Act, which would be a huge conservation win for all anglers. To highlight just how wonderful it is to have the Apache trout around in fishable numbers now, US Fish and Wildlife Service...

Last week, we reported on the proposed delisting of the Apache trout that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) made public. This is a fairly monumental bit of news, particularly in the face of so much rapidly declining habitat throughout the Rocky Mountain West. So, to help anglers understand just what goes into creating self-sustaining populations of...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed removing the Apache trout from the list of endangered species, per the FWS website. The Apache trout is native to Arizona, and is only found in the White Mountains in the eastern half of the state. Apache trout recovery has been a long process, since they were first listed as threatened in 1973. Years of...

In a big move to reduce waste, RIO Products has announced that all of their lines starting in fall 2023 will ship on compostable spools. The material looks similar to what egg cartons are made from, and RIO says this change will save up to 20,000 pounds of plastic per year. RIO should certainly be applauded for this move, and it'll be interesting to watch...

It turns out that the fly fishing public aren't the only ones concerned with the problems facing the Big Hole River in Montana. The New York Times just published an in-depth, surprisingly accurate retelling of all the issues on the Big Hole. Wade Fellin, owner and operator of the Big Hole Lodge, was quoted extensively throughout the story, as were other...

Last week, we reported on a new study from Trout Unlimited that shows definitive proof of hatchery fish having a detrimental impact on wild salmonids across the globe, with the focus specifically on salmon and steelhead. Today, we'll dive into the details to help you understand why hatchery fish are harming wild salmonids, and what this means for the future...

Steelhead returns haven't been great in 2023, and that trend is unfortunately showing itself on the legendary Skeena River. In an open letter on Steelhead Voices, Bob Hooton (a retired fisheries biologist who worked on the Skeena River) laments the current state of Skeena steelhead. "The 2023 Skeena steelhead return is anything but stellar," Hooton writes...

The Biden administration announced on September 6 that they have canceled oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), per a press release from the Department of the Interior. A total of nine leases were sold during the Trump administration, totaling "more than 430,000 acres" in ANWR. However, President Biden issued an executive order...