Introducing the Yakamas’ new steelhead rehab program

Steelhead in Washington’s Yakima River are doubling down on spawning thanks to a reconditioning program run by the Yakama tribe—spelled differently than the river. A study published recently in North American Journal of Fisheries Management shows a successful pattern of repeat spawning in female steelhead during the decade-long program. And increases in repeat spawning events are helping boost long-depressed Yakima steelhead returns.

Repeat spawning isn’t unusual for steelhead, but Yakima fish spawn a couple hundred miles up from the ocean and dodge a gauntlet of dams, seals, nets, birds and more on their journey—both going out and returning. That can make the trek a little rough.

The Yakama reconditioning efforts track down outgoing post-spawn female steelhead before they go belly up. Those fish are then transferred to the Prosser hatchery where they receive the equivalent of a spa treatment experience until their physical fitness improves. After treatment they’re released to migrate back to the ocean before a return trip to the river.

“This is a natural part of steelhead life history… We’re just helping them survive,” says Jeff Trammell, a fish biologist for the Yakama Nation and lead author of the study.

The efforts have improved repeat spawning from 3 percent to 15 percent. About 60 percent of the reconditioned females return to spawn again and, biologists say, provide genetic enhancement to the overall population as only the most-fit survive to spawn again.

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Tom Bie
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Tom Bie is the founder, editor, and publisher of The Drake. He started the magazine in 1998 as an annual newsprint publication based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He then moved it to Steamboat, Colorado (1999), Boulder, Colorado (2001), and San Clemente, California (2004), as he took jobs as managing editor at Paddler, Senior Editor at Skiing, and Editor-in-Chief at Powder, respectively. Tom and The Drake are now both based in Denver, Colorado, where The Drake is finally all grows up(Swingers, 1996) to a quarterly magazine.

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Author: Tom Bie

Tom Bie is the founder, editor, and publisher of The Drake. He started the magazine in 1998 as an annual newsprint publication based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He then moved it to Steamboat, Colorado (1999), Boulder, Colorado (2001), and San Clemente, California (2004), as he took jobs as managing editor at Paddler, Senior Editor at Skiing, and Editor-in-Chief at Powder, respectively. Tom and The Drake are now both based in Denver, Colorado, where The Drake is finally all grows up(Swingers, 1996) to a quarterly magazine.

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