We attempted to launch the Snake River juvenile salmon and steelhead trout trap during the last week of February. However, March weather arrived early. This year, March came in like a lion. The harsh weather forced us to delay the launch. We needed a day more like a lamb than a lion.
Fortunately, the weather improved one week later, so we were able to make our move. This move requires teamwork and a lot of power. The team consists of a seven-person crew. The power is provided by a 35-foot barge with two, 90 horse power, outboard motors.
The 100-foot-long fish trap is stored several miles downstream of Lewiston, Idaho between trapping seasons. During late winter, it is towed upstream and attached to the Blue, Interstate Bridge, located between Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington. The trap has operated here each spring since 1984.
After connecting to the bridge and attaching the components, the trap is ready to start collecting fish in early March. Juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, known as smolts, are trapped and marked here. Their journey downstream, through the Snake and Columbia River Migration Corridor, to the Pacific Ocean is monitored. Resource managers use this information to make informed decisions that improve the fish’s survival.