Chuitna Use

Chuitna: More Than Salmon on the Line

Alaska’s Chuitna River watershed—bookended between Cook Inlet and Anchorage—is rich with salmon. It’s also a potential cash conveyor belt for developers who plan to tap its coal-laden underbelly and build export terminals to feed overseas demand. (Namely, to China.) The short film Chuitna chronicles the journey of conservation-minded anglers fighting to put pristine wilderness and anadromous…

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Deschutes

Deschutes Disappearing

This short film by photographer Scott Nelson highlights the highs and lows of Deschutes River waters. Before the dams went in, the Deschutes flowed a fairly consistent 700 to 800 cubic feet per second (cfs) year-round, said Brett Hodgson, district biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Bend. There would be occasional increases…

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hosed

Egg Sucking Leeches

There’s gold in them thar waters. And Idaho miners and politicians aim to suck it.  Last week an Idaho House committee advanced a bill to permit suction dredging in some of the most pristine rivers in the west. The Middle Fork of the Salmon, Clearwater, and Lochsa rivers are among the waters with protected salmon, steelhead, and…

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Xboundary

Xboundary

Xboundary explores British Columbia’s open-pit mining craze and the potential for lethal shit to move downstream. “The massive size and location of the mines—at the headwaters of major salmon rivers that flow across the border into Alaska—has Alaskans concerned over pollution risks posed to their multi-billion dollar fishing and tourism industries. These concerns were heightened…

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Red Chris

Foreign Mine Threatens AK Salmon

With digging underway, Canada’s latest mine has become the newest concern for Alaska’s wild fish advocates. Last week, an open-pit gold-and-copper producer called Red Chris began operating in the British Columbia headwaters of the Stikine River, an undammed waterway that flows more than 400 miles, crossing borders and spilling into an 11,000-hectare delta near Wrangell, AK.

damsdropped

2014 Dam Removals

From coast to coast the deadbeats continue to drop. According to American Rivers’ latest report, communities in 19 states in partnership with non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies removed 72 dams in 2014—restoring more than 730 miles of streams for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and people. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois,…

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steel symposium

Hatchery Vs. Wild Symposium

Hatchery vs. wild salmon and steelhead fisheries management is a lightning-rod issue for anglers and the science community alike. On January 22-23, in Portland, the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is hosting a public symposium on the topic, focusing on research, management, and potential reform. Four sessions will include: Hatchery Fish Performance and Genetics,…

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bigfootsoak

It’s Bigfoot, Fisherman Says

This looks legit. According to fisherman John Rodriguez, northern Tampa’s Hillsborough River is a great place to fish for gar and snap pictures of birds. On Dec. 26, however, shit got real when the 66-year-old retired electrician says he heard squishing sounds, looked over and saw this “thing” walking through the water and crouching down for a…

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