B.C. experiments with using fertilzer to revitalize salmon and steelhead production in the Keogh River on Vancouver Island seem to be having some encouraging results. You can read the article at www.vancouversun.com/newsite/news/001016/4692713.html

Very interesting. Kind of mirrors what a Washington biologist did as an experiment on the Willapa. As you may have heard, he also recognized the need for re-introduction of key nutrients into streams and started seeding tributaries with surplus carcasses from the local hatchery. Early results were/are encouraging. Now, the seeding of streams is slowly increasing as a way to help rivers that are missing the desperately needed natural carcasses.

Both this and the BC example have a common theme: re-introduction of nutrients to boost the food chain. The beauty of the BC project is that it can be done in situations where surplus carcasses are not available yet, have positive results.

One thing I'm intrigued by is how they determine how much fertilizer is too much or too little. Seems to me it would be easy to dump too much in thus causing water quality problems. But, they apparently have the right formula.

Keep us posted!!

Hey Keta,
Ive read acouple of your post's on diferent ways to bring back fish.

Ive been impressed with some of the stuff youve come up with.

Its people like you that we should have working for the state Fish 'n' Game department.

Keep it up.
Josh

I like the idea of giving the river some kind of return for the fish we take out. I have just started taking the guts back to the river and returning them. Every little bit helps. Good way to catch crayfish also. The E fork steelhead love them.

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dank
Keep The Rivers Clean!

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what rivers use to be like before man came to interrupt them. It's no new news that when salmon spawn they die. Once they die they decay and create food for the salmon and steelhead fry to eat. I live on the east fork of the lewis and my grandfather told me back in the 60's and 70's the salmon runs in the east fork were awesome, especially the silvers. Now you can't hardly find a wild silver in the east fork. So all those summer steelhead that there use to be in the 60's and 70's now when they spawn there fry don't have any real food to survive on and that is one of the main factors that the steelhead cannot survive in the lewis... Take for instance the kalama and washougal two other rivers that have a fair run of wild summer steelhead, why is it that the east fork a river between the washougal and kalama doesn't have crap for wild summer and spring steelhead anymore. I know the kalama and washougal does they are my favorite fish in the world to catch...

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