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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2017 Steelhead runs hit lowest number in almost 40 years Summer fish returns drastically low By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group Summer steelhead returns are off to a dismal start in 2017, with 75 perfect fewer fish than usual crossing Bonneville Dam so far this season. The latest research suggests a big part of the recent popula- tion decline may be tied to fac- tors soon after juvenile steel- head enter the ocean, such as predation, parasites and indus- trial contamination. A study published in June in the Canadian Journal of Fisher- ies and Aquatic Sciences takes a closer look at Pacific North- west steelhead runs from the Lower Columbia River and Puget Sound, tracking the sur- vival of smolts early in their ocean life. Neala Kendall, research sci- entist and project leader with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in Olympia, Washington, said the study did not specifically examine upper Columbia steelhead, though ocean conditions apply to all fish runs. “This is important for inte- rior Columbia River steel- head,” Kendall said. “They are experiencing the same ocean as Lower Columbia River steelhead, certainly.” The publication comes at a time when fisheries managers across the Columbia Basin are projecting the lowest steelhead returns in 37 years. Accord- ing to data, just 4,075 steel- head have passed Bonneville Dam since July 1, compared to 16,996 at the same time last year. The five-year average to date is 19,272. Fisheries managers in Ore- gon and Washington state have approved steelhead restrictions on the Columbia River, clos- ing steelhead retention below Idaho Department of Fish and Game The Dalles Dam for the entire month of August. Steelhead retention is closed between The Dalles and John Day dams during the month of Septem- ber, and from John Day Dam to the Oregon-Washington border during October and November. Juvenile steelhead already face an arduous journey migrating from the upper Columbia and lower Snake rivers. Once they finally reach the ocean, Kendall said condi- tions right away play a signif- icant role in determining total marine survival. The study was launched in 2013 as part of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, a collaboration of both U.S. and Canadian scientists. Ken- dall said the team analyzed 35 coastal steelhead runs dat- ing back to the late 1970s, pri- marily from Puget Sound and Lower Columbia River. “From our research, it’s conditions in the early ocean life of steelhead, shortly after they hit saltwater, that influ- ence their total marine sur- vival,” Kendall said. “They all go to the same place in the ocean. That doesn’t seem to matter.” In particular, Kendall said harbor seals, harbor porpoises and birds seem to be preying more on juvenile steelhead due to a reduction in populations of forage fish, like herring, ancho- vies and eulachon. Every year since the project began, Kendall said research- ers have released between 100- 200 tagged steelhead smolts into the Green and Nisqually rivers — which flow into Washington’s Puget Sound — to measure predation by seals. One year, just 6 percent of the tagged fish made it out of the Sound. Another year, the total was 40 percent, which just so happened to coincide with a huge anchovy boom. “I think this research look- ing at predation is going to be important,” she said. “The same predation is taking place down in the Columbia River on both juveniles and adult (fish).” Other parts of the study focus on migrating fish that have been infected by nano- phyetus, a parasite that bur- rows into juvenile salmon and steelhead and attacks their muscle tissue. Kendall said nanophyetus has been documented much more heavily in the south- ern Puget Sound, though there is concern that the parasite could spread as waters con- tinue to warm. During the 2015 drought, Kendall said the team documented nearly 100 per- cent of steelhead with nano- phyetus in the Nisqually River. Coming Soon... The CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative is bringing advanced cancer care to the coast. 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