Our guest speaker will be John Weinheimer from Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. He will update us on the success of Bull Trout in Swift Reservoir and the mitigation impact of salmon and steelhead at Swift. This will be good stuff. John has been working on these programs and has a lot to share.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and salmon restoration efforts have been hot topics in the news lately, but Southwest Washington has another listed fish species that has not gained as much publicity. In June1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed bull trout with “threatened” status. The Lewis River has its own unique bull trout population.

At our January meeting, biologists from the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife will give a presentation on these Lewis River bull trout. They will discuss: the history of Lewis River bull trout research, how bull trout spawners are estimated; the methodology used; whether this population is healthy or declining; Lewis River bull trout life histories; and tracking bull trout movements in reservoirs.

It should be informative, and provide an occasion to learn more about one of the largest resident fish found in local waters. It will also give folks who have an interest in field activities, an opportunity to participate in next summer’s netting and snorkeling. See you there! Jim Byrne WDFW

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December was a busy month with fish being put into net pens at Echo Park near Woodland, WA., and at Speelyai Bay in Lake Merwin up stream.

Dec 13, Steve, Dan and Danny Balch hauled and installed six nets and feed boxes to the Echo site. Net pen seven needed repair from mouse damage and was installed later. On Dec. 15, thirteen members laid pipe and helped place 75,000 Spring Chinook in the pens. They will be fed and allowed to imprint with the area before releasing them in a couple of months. Nov. 30 new net pens at Speelyai Bay were stocked with 47,610 Kokonee and 63,300 Steelhead.

The pens were completed with the addition of bird covers and the pens were pushed to the new anchor site. Volunteers logged 120 hours in this all day event. Thank you

8,110 carcasses have been placed at 30 sites along the Lewis River. An additional 1,389 salmon carcasses are in a freezer waiting to be placed up stream of 19 Remote Site Incubators (RSI) that will be installed in early January. Anyone who wants to help with RSI’s or nutrient enhancement can contact Mike Moss 360-225-8476, Al Fulcer 360-225-5690 or Dan Balch at 360-225-7388.

Fish First has reached its 10 year anniversary helping replenish salmon stocks in the Lewis River tributaries. Our work encompasses what we feel is a well rounded approach to protecting and enhancing our fishery. Remote Site Incubators jump start the system by placing thousands of fry in the stream. Nutrient enhancement provides food for the fry to feed on. Net pen projects at Echo Park and Speelyai imprint hatchery stocks with the area for their return as adults. In-stream projects stabilize the stream and enhance spawning and rearing. We are successful because of the generosity of our members.