We planned to tow the 100-foot long trap upstream to the Highway 12 Bridge, which is known as the “Blue Bridge,” in late February. It spans the Snake River between Lewiston and Clarkston, Washington. However, the temperature was 10 degrees that morning and shards of river ice were still piling up in front of the trap well into the afternoon.
The following week, the river ice was gone, and we were able to resume our journey to the bridge. The trap has been tethered at this site from early March through late May since 1984.
Today, Fish and Game and the Fish Passage Center cooperatively operate this fish trap as a key component of the Smolt Monitoring Program and the Comparative Survival Study. Data from here helps river users and resource managers make informed decisions to assist juvenile salmonids during their migration through the river corridor from here to the Pacific Ocean.
During the coming weeks, we will share more information about this trap and other components of this project through blogs and videos.