Written by Robert Hand, Clearwater Region
Every fall, fisheries crews from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and other agencies head out into the woods to hunt. Not for big game, but to look for spring/summer Chinook Salmon spawning in remote Idaho streams. These fish are ending an amazing journey that took them from these streams as juveniles, all the way to the ocean and back again to their natal streams 1-3 years later as adults ready to spawn. Salmon die shortly after they spawn, which means that it is incredibly important for them to successfully reproduce during this single opportunity. The crews spend several weeks out hiking in Idaho streams searching for these fish and the nests they build, which are called redds.
These crews count the number of redds, live salmon they see, and collect data from any salmon carcasses they find. This data can tell us information such as how old the fish are, if they are wild or hatchery fish, and if they are males or females. All of this information helps fishery managers monitor these fish populations. To ensure consistency in how crews conduct the surveys and collect the data, special training sessions are held where they learn how to identify the redds and properly collect the data from carcasses. Check out this video to get a sneak peek into this training for these important surveys.
For more information on Idaho's wild salmon and steelhead click here.
