(The text below was published as an article in the Valley Herald on December 14, 2001)

The headwaters of the Walla Walla River are home one of the strongest populations of bull trout in the state. Bull trout redd counts in spawning areas have tripled over the last seven years according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The return of steelhead for spawning has also dramatically increased this. However, over-appropriation of water from the river along with irrigation diversions and flood control structures that make fish passage difficult has reduced the habitat for fish in the middle and lower reaches of the river.

Recent efforts by local irrigation districts, federal, state, and tribal entities have removed many of the barriers that prevented fish from moving up and down the river. Now more information is needed in order to prioritize the best use of new grants and local efforts to restore watershed. The Walla Walla River Basin has the potential to sustain healthy fish populations, as it did in the past, and local efforts are helping provide the scientific information to get there.

Although the Walla Walla River contains bull trout and steelhead, there is not enough information about their migration patterns or preferred locations in the watershed. The lack of life history information limits fishery managers’ ability to develop effective conservation strategies to protect and recover these species. In order to help increase the fish stocks, it is critical that we better understand their habits.

High-tech radio tracking tags are being placed in fish in order to follow their movements and learn more about their life patterns. This is a joint effort involving Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists in Oregon and Washington, staff from the three main irrigation districts (the Walla Walla River Irrigation District, Hudson Bay District Improvement Co. Inc., and Gardena Farms Irrigation District #13), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation fish biologists, the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, and funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

The goal of this telemetry project is to provide scientific information that will help develop protection and recovery plans. The tracking is designed to answer two specific questions about bull trout and summer steelhead in the Walla Walla River basin. The first question is: Are the fish able to migrate effectively throughout the basin? The second is: Which areas of the river do each type of fish use and when do they move to other areas? This is a cooperative project to find solutions to the challenge of farming in an area with fish listed as "threatened" (steelhead) and "endangered" (bull trout) under the federal Endangered Species Act.

To place a tag in a bull trout, a specially trained fish biologist conducts a minor surgery with the permission of the appropriate federal agency (the US Fish and Wildlife Service regulates bull trout and the National Marine Fisheries Service regulates steelhead).

Steelhead tags are pushed gently down into the fish’s stomach. A very fine flexible wire antenna sticking out of the mouth identifies a tagged steelhead. The fish are measured to make sure the tag is no more than 2% of their body weight.

The tag emits a radio signal that biologists use to record the movements of the fish as they pass by any of the 14 receiver stations tuned to the fish frequency. The receivers are located at key points along the Touchet River, Mill Creek, Yellowhawk Creek, and the Walla Walla River. In addition, the biologists use mobile receivers to pinpoint the location of fish between receivers.

Fish from various locations along each of these streams are being tagged. By the end of the three-year study, tags will have been put into a total of 180 steelhead and 90 bull trout. Besides observing the patterns of movement for each fish, the biologists are also recording river temperatures and measuring the flow. This information helps put together a more complete picture of habitat conditions.

Anglers may already have noticed the CTUIR posters that say "Attention Anglers: We Need Your Help". There is a $50,000 fine for catching and keeping a bull trout at any time during the year because it is an endangered fish. They should be released immediately if accidentally caught.

Steelhead fishing is allowed based on regulation by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. If a wild steelhead is caught that has a tag in it (it will have the flexible wire antenna coming out of its mouth), it should be released immediately. If a hatchery steelhead is caught that has a tag in it (it will have the antenna plus a clipped fin), it is best to release it in order to assist the study.

If you plan to keep the steelhead or find a tag for any other reason, a $25 reward is provided for returning a CTUIR tag with information about when and where you found it. [Brian Mahoney can answer questions about this at (541) 966-2398.]

By gaining an understanding of the seasonal distribution of native bull trout and wild and hatchery steelhead we can prioritize habitat improvements, provide a scientific basis for difficult water management decisions, and work to increase angling opportunities.

The Watershed Council can be reached at (541) 938-2170. Information about the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council meetings and other projects they sponsor can be found on the website at www.wwbwc.org. If you want to know what each type of fish looks like, try the trout identification quiz found at: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/qisley/FishID.htm [Editor's note: link not valid 6/13/06].

Article prepared by Gina Massoni, WWBWC Project Manager from 2001-2006.

More information about the telemetry project can be found here.