Kootenai River White Sturgeon

A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that the eggs of endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon are less likely to hatch on some of the surfaces that have been made more common by human changes on the river.

The white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) was once common in much of North America. White sturgeon in Idaho and Montana’s Kootenai River basin were listed as endangered in 1994.

The publication, "Hatch Success of White Sturgeon Embryos Incubated on Various Substrates," USGS Report Series 2013-5180, by Michael J. Parsley and Eric Kofoot, is available online.

source: U.S. Geological Survey

Idaho Kamloops Rainbow Trout Stocking

Idaho Department of Fish and Game (DFG) recently released about 15,000 pure Gerrard (Kamloops) rainbow trout fingerlings into the Pack River drainage and Spring Creek.

Eggs for the project were acquired from British Columbia. The fingerling rainbows were reared at the Cabinet Gorge Hatchery.

Community support for the stocking program comes from the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club. With help from the club, the fingerlings were recently adipose-fin-clipped so that Fish and Game can evaluate their performance and future contribution to the fishery.

source: Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Idaho Dutch Flat Dam Removal Could Benefit Steelhead

Dutch Flat Dam was a 10-foot barrier built nearly a century ago to provide drinking water to Troy, Idaho. The dam spanned the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, which ran so dry in summer that nobody thought steelhead survived there.

About a decade ago biologists realized that steelhead do, in fact, survive in such streams. It turns out that steelhead are able to survive dry periods by moving into pools cooled by underground flows.

Over the summer of 2013, local leaders and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game worked with federal agencies to take out the dam so steelhead can again move freely up the West Fork of Little Bear Creek. Crews finished removing the dam’s concrete in early September and are now widening a new course for the creek.

An inventory by Idaho Fish and Game about 10 years ago surprised many locals by finding steelhead throughout the Potlatch River drainage in small streams such as Little Bear Creek that mostly dried up in summer. It turned out that the fish survive the summer in remnant pools cooled by subterranean water.

As word of the steelhead spread, so did enthusiasm for removing the dam and reopening the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, said biologist Bob Ries of NOAA Fisheries. Enthusiasm grew even more when a local resident found steelhead spawning in the creek.

Biologists salvaged almost 180 fish from pools below the dam before the removal began and about three quarters were steelhead, Johnson said. It was the most steelhead they had ever captured in that reach, he said, suggesting that many fish stand to benefit from removal of the dam.

Snake River steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. Removing migration barriers and restoring access to high quality spawning and rearing habitat is considered critical for their recovery.

NOAA Fisheries and the Bonneville Power Administration provided $500,000 for the project. NOAA’s funding came from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, a competitive grant program dedicated to restoring Pacific salmon and their habitat.

For more information, visit: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/stories/2013/dutch_flat_dam_removal.html

source: NOAA Fisheries

2011 Idaho Salmon Fishing

According to Idaho Fish and Game, as of Sunday, July 3, an estimated 1,413 adult Chinook had been harvested on the Salmon River and 987 on the Little Salmon River.

The total available sport harvest share has been upgraded to 9,000 for all hatchery Chinook bound for Rapid River Hatchery and the Little Salmon River.

Fish and Game's Southwest Region will publish weekly updates regarding local Chinook fisheries until salmon seasons close on the South Fork Salmon and Little Salmon Rivers.

More information regarding salmon fishing can be found on the Idaho Fish and Game website at:
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish

source: Idaho Fish and Game

2011 Idaho Chinook - King Salmon Runs

Idaho Fish and Game is drafting proposals for the 2011 spring Chinook salmon fishing season, which typically begins in April.

Although fishing may not be as good as last year, the 2011 Chinook salmon season could be one of the best since 1980. Numbers of returning fish are expected to be similar to 2008 and 2009.

It is estimated that approximately 2,000 Chinook will be available for non-tribal recreational anglers in the Clearwater; 4,200 in the lower Salmon and Little Salmon; and about 800 in the Snake River below the Hells Canyon dams.

source: Idaho Fish and Game