Understanding Movements of Steelhead in the Clearwater River Drainage

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, in collaboration with Nez Perce Tribal Fisheries Research Division, has been tracking steelhead bound for the South Fork Clearwater River since September with the primary objective of trying to better understand how steelhead move and use the river system and what causes them to move.  It is especially important to learn how wild steelhead move through the river differently than the hatchery fish.

LINK (via:The Fish Ladder)

Comments

[bloodknots]

"In the future, understanding movement patterns in the Clearwater may give us more options and more flexibility to structure fisheries in other ways, which may be less restrictive."

Although the study will give more insight into the runs of both hatchery fish and wild fish in the drainage, it is still slanting towards prolonging a commodity fish (hatchery) for harvest. There is very little language that reflects the Fish and Games priority to maintain healthy wild steelhead in the CW.