Rogue Steelhead Graph 1994-2005

[Darian]

Altho I've never seen any stats, I'd be willing to bet that there's an incidental catch of Steelhead for commercial fisheries in places like Alaska or along the BC Coast.... I've taken Steelhead on a fly within 100 yards of the ocean in places like Waddell Creek (San Mateo County). Not sure but I think those fish would've taken a fly in the surf if it'd been offered there. Probably not a lot of Steelhead targeted in the ocean....

No disrespect meant but, Frankly, I don't subscribe to anything with a brain the size of a pea that takes some of the baits, lure and/or flies I've seen as being "smart"....

[bubzilla]

I remembered having this discussion regarding ocean conditions and how they affect salmon/steelhead populations when I read this article today. Pretty interesting and sounds like they're beginning to prove what many have thought for some time regarding ocean temperatures, zooplankton, and anadromous fish numbers. Plus, maybe some good news about the current warm water trend turning around.

Tiny zooplankton may be key to juvenile salmon survival

NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) -- Tiny sea creatures known as zooplankton may be the key to fattening up juvenile salmon enough to survive in the ocean, a new study says.

A species of zooplankton called copepods that thrive in cold water in the northeast Pacific Ocean have a high level of lipids - or fats - possibly boosting the food chain and allowing salmon to grow fast enough to survive their first year at sea.

The copepods store high amounts of the fats in order to hibernate during the winter, much like bears, according to Oregon State University researchers.

The copepods, in turn, are eaten by juvenile anchovies, herring, smelt and krill, boosting the fat content of those species and making them highly nutritious for young coho and chinook salmon, as well as other predators.

"A fat salmon is a happy salmon," said William Peterson, an oceanographer at the university's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

For years, scientists and the fishing industry have known that "good ocean conditions" are critical to salmon survival and are linked with strong upwelling that brings nutrient-rich deeper waters to the surface. But studies by Peterson and his colleagues shed new light on what makes those conditions favorable for juvenile salmon.

One of the keys to survival is rapid growth for salmon once they enter the ocean, said Peterson, a NOAA Fisheries scientist who also teaches at the university.

"The salmon are roughly 6 or 7 inches long when they enter the ocean and are about the same size as adult herring and anchovies that make them ideal prey for birds and larger fish," Peterson said.

"But salmon have the ability to grow tremendously fast - and they have to," he said.

The salmon also must store enough fat to prevent starvation during their first winter.

Researchers say the cold-water copepods are most abundant during La Nina years when the ocean cools slightly.

When the waters off Oregon are warmer, as in the strong El Nino year of 1997-98 and during much of the 1990s, salmon struggle to survive.

Conditions can change rapidly. In 1998, the northern Pacific experienced a rapid transition to a cooler La Nina phase that brought strong upwelling and cold-water copepods to the region.

As a result, Peterson said, the number of adult chinook salmon returning to the Columbia River system a few years later were the highest since the 1950s.

In the fall of 2002, conditions reversed again and warmer waters have been dominant since. The copepod biomass has shrunk, and salmon and steelhead runs have decreased significantly.

Robert Emmett, another NOAA researcher, says another factor related to temperature may affect juvenile salmon survival. When ocean conditions are warm, Pacific hake tend to come onto the continental shelf at night and prey on young salmon that may be small because of the lack of food, he said.

Conditions may be changing again, the scientists say.

"There are signs that it is getting cold again, which is encouraging," Peterson said. "But it's still too early to tell."

The study will be presented at the American Geophysical Union's Ocean Sciences Meeting Feb. 20-24 in Honolulu.

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[Langenbeck]

Bubzilla/Grant: In a sport where there is lost of guessing, conjecture and just plain B.S. your replies are always refreshing as you do your homework and cite your sources. Keep up the good work.