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Masking decline: Why Snake River wild salmon and steelhead can’t wait
Across the Snake River Basin, wild Chinook salmon and steelhead are in serious trouble. For decades, we've seen steady erosion in population abundance, genetic diversity and productivity. And yet—some still point to hatchery returns, favorable ocean years or isolated stream projects as signs of progress. Here’s the truth: we’re masking a long-term collapse with short-term…
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Numbers look good, but are they really?
If you’ve seen the recent news regarding Snake River steelhead returns, you’ve likely asked yourself, what’s the issue with the four lower Snake River dams? With returns totaling nearly 100,000 steelhead over Lower Granite dam one would believe brighter days are ahead. But if history repeats itself, this is just a blip on the radar…
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By the numbers on the Snake
Understanding the metrics used to evaluate and represent recovery of wild salmon and steelhead in the Snake River basin is an exercise worthy of a Ph.D. From annual abundance numbers, to understanding Endangered Species Act delisting criteria, to smolt-to-adult return ratios (SARs) to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survival statistics, the numbers can…
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Time to go all in
Current efforts are no longer cutting it for salmon and steelhead survival on the lower Snake It’s high time we admit we got it wrong; salmon and steelhead cannot survive in a highly modified river system like the lower Snake River. Despite our best intentions, the facts remain the same: Chinook salmon, steelhead and sockeye…
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Naxiyam Wana and the Uniter
Editor’s Note: This Native American Heritage Month, Trout Unlimited is celebrating and honoring the efforts of our tribal partners who, since time immemorial, have been stewards of the lands, waters and wildlife they hold sacred. We are inspired by the stories of the Nez Perce working to recover salmon on the Snake River, of the…
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Business Depends on It
We find ourselves advocating for what we love. It’s the unintentional experiences that cement our passion to conserve and protect. For Grant Richie, owner and operator of Minam Store Outfitters, that is clearly the case. Grant is a passionate advocate for cold-water fisheries, particularly the Grande Ronde River system. While attending college in Walla Walla,…
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Spring Chinook runs…disappointing (but unsurprising) declines continue
Now is our chance to let the Biden Administration know it is time to act. As the spring Chinook salmon migration nears its end in much of the Snake River basin, it is time to reflect on what was and was not. In February, fisheries managers forecasted 85,900 spring Chinook salmon would return to the…
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