TU Science Team Uses Genetics to Help Guide Management Needs for a Threatened Trout

Lahontan cutthroat trout genetics expand conservation options
Lahontan cutthroat trout genetics expand conservation options
Surveying a recent Trout Unlimited dam removal site deep in Virginia’s mountains, Dylan Cooper made sure to not just focus on what wasn’t there anymore, but what remained.
I was driving home the other morning from my son’s school, where a prospective head of school had fielded questions from an auditorium full of parents. One father had asked how the candidate would promote critical thinking in an environment so well known for its “indoctrination” of our nation’s youth. He seemed to accept this reality, yet expressed hope that debate would be encouraged on controversial topics. One of them, no surprise, was…
Lauren Genske’s earliest forays into trout fishing didn’t go exactly as planned.
I landed at the Austin airport, and hustled over to the rental car company only to be told my license had expired the day before. The glee of the two clerks behind the counter was not lost on me. I was 90 minutes from New Braunfels, Texas, where I was scheduled in a few hours…
5/23/2000 Trout Unlimited Policy Statement on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Restoration in the Truckee River Watershed Trout Unlimited Policy Statement on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Restoration in the Truckee River Watershed Contact: 5/23/2000 — — Trout Unlimited’s mission is “to conserve, protect, and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.” For more than 40 years TU…
Editor’s note: To kick off our education series exploring the complexities of water in the West, we interview author and TU’s water policy associate for its Western Water and Habitat Program, Sara Porterfield. How long have you been with TU and what do you work on day-to-day? Sara Porterfield: I started with TU in October…
Editor’s note: The following is excerpted from the new book, “Catching Yellowstone’s Wild Trout: A Fly-fishing History and Guide,” by Chris Hunt, Trout Unlimited’s national digital director. The book, endorsed by TU, is available for pre-order now, and hits shelves on June 17. Several of today’s iconic fisheries in Yellowstone National Park are only fisheries…
Roads and other human travel infrastructure such as trails—especially those that are poorly maintained or have become decrepit—are a major cause of pollution and other degradation of trout and salmon streams. Much of TU’s restoration work involves repairing, replacing, and sometimes removing roads and related structures.
The equation is simple. It’s hot. It’s going to get hotter, which is why it is so urgent to increase access for salmon and steelhead to the thousands of square miles of the most climate-resilient, high-elevation habitat in the Snake River basin by removing the lower four Snake River dams
The great conservationist, Aldo Leopold, once wrote that “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none…
Sage investors know that maintaining a diversified portfolio is a key to smart investing. Trout Unlimited is expanding on its application of that philosophy to the way it is investing in native brook trout restoration and protection to reduce risk and increase resilience in brook trout populations. TU recently developed a Brook Trout Conservation Portfolio tool…
The Steelhead Whisperer, on his home water, in his characteristic pose. By Sam Davidson Apparently I like to observe important fishing occasions by making other anglers feel better about themselves. 2017 was a case in point. I ended the calendar year, and the 2016-17 winter steelhead season (in March), in the same fashion: by going…
Engaging with young anglers about conservation, policy and people It is easy to get cynical about the future, until you spend some time with it. I recently had a great time virtually speaking with over 100 college students who belong to our TU Costa 5 Rivers clubs and agreed to post my answers to their…
TU Report Details Impact of Overuse of Water on Colorado’s Rivers & Streams TU Report Details Impact of Overuse of Water on Colorados Rivers & Streams Contact: Melinda Kassen Director, Colorado Water Project 303/440-2937 1/7/2002 — Denver, CO — A new report says that Colorados rivers and streams are beginning to show clear signs of…
Returning to the valley a year after surgery. The way I figure it, they probably stopped her heart around 1 p.m. The bypass machines kicked on and in my mind they sounded like the soothing white noise of a ceiling fan. Peaceful. I don’t know if a person subconsciously takes in any noise during surgery,…
I recently spoke about Trout Unlimited’s conservation work to a small gathering of anglers, most of whom had been Trout Unlimited members at some point but had drifted away and lost touch. They were surprised to learn that TU had grown to become an organization with 300,000 members and supporters who dedicate more than 700,000 volunteer hours annually, a…
Trout Unlimited Media Resources Trout Unlimited is the nation’s leading conservation organization uniting people behind clean waters, healthy fish, and thriving communities. Are you a reporter on deadline? Reach out to one of our communications directors to get the information you need. Working on a longer piece about trout and salmon, rivers and streams, and…
As the year draws to a close, let’s celebrate a few of the victories that all of you—members, supporters, partners, donors, and our staff around the country—made possible
A bigger-than-average trout from a nameless creek, Sierra National Forest. By Sam Davidson For no good reason one of my favorite words is equinox. It sounds like a cool drum set, or a fancy word for a horse’s muzzle. Of course, the term (which stems originally from the old Latin aequinoctium, or “equal night”) means…