September 1999
Trout Unlimited September Letter


1. Sept. 14 Meeting
2. Silver Creek (Middle Fork Payette) Stream Project Sept. 11
3. Salmon and Steelhead Days Sept. 8-10
4. Study: Snake River Chinook Extinct by 2017
5. TU TV on ESPN2
6. IDAHO STATE TROUT UNLIMITED MEETING SEPTEMBER 24-25, 1999 THREE RIVERS LODGE, KOOSKIA, IDAHO
7. North Fork Boise Bull Trout Weir Project -- Volunteers needed
8. Ted Trueblood Chapter Celebrates Free Fishing Day! Saturday June 12
9. Let's Keep Barbless Hooks!
   


SEPTEMBER 14 MEETING PROGRAM by Rick Prange

Monte McClendon is going to do a program on two conservation projects that BVFF and Trout Unlimited has been involved with. He will be giving us an update on the excellent stream recovery that has occurred at Long Tom Creek since we first built fence there in 1996. We followed up with a willow plant in 1997.

Over the last several seasons, Monte has been monitoring the riparian vegetation restoration and has some slides that vividly show how the stream/trout habitat has improved. Regional IDFG Fishery Manager, Dale Allen, will also provide results of electrofishing Long Tom Creek for trout in the project area. Blackstone Reservoir is the second project that Monte and Dale will be discussing with us. Blackstone has been stocked by IDFG with 5,000 6-inch sterile rainbow trout to help establish a potential quality fishery. Dale has recommended that limited harvest/gear restrictions at Blackstone be approved by the IDFG Commission for the next 2-year fishing regulation period.

We have a club project/outing scheduled at Blackstone in early October. Monte will be filling us in on that. Fly tying demos start at 6:30.

The Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Boise Valley Fly Fishermen will continue our joint member meetings at 600 N. Curtis (Odd Fellows Hall), across from West Junior High School. Fly tying begins at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Silver Creek Project Sept. 11. At 9:00am on September 11 and 12 Trout Unlimited will join the Emmett Ranger District to begin work on the Silver Creek Riparian Restoration Project. We will rehabilitate damaged and eroded stream banks, develop an aquatic ecology interpretive sign system, and construct a handicapped-accessible trail system. Silver Creek, a tributary to the Middle Fork Payette River, is an extremely popular destination for fishing and recreation. To decrease the impact to the area, barbs and tree revetment structures will be installed to slow steam velocities and catch fine sediment. In addition, approximately 1,500 feet of stream bank will be planted with native plants to increase the bank stability. We are looking for volunteers to help on this weekend. The main objectives will be tree revetment, barb placement, and possible planting. These tasks will include digging into the bank and time will be spent in the water, so be sure to bring waders or water sandals. Tools will be provides. Location and Directions (see map) Silver Creek is approximately 25 miles north of Crouch. >From Boise take Highway 55 north to Banks, turn east onto the Banks-Lowman Highway (798) and travel about 10 miles. Turn onto road 698 towards Crouch. Continue north through town, and follow this road to the forest boundary where the road will turn to dirt. Stay on this road another 5 miles or so, until you see Trail Creek Campground on the left. Turn east onto 671 towards Silver Creek. Follow this road to the Silver Creek Forest Service Campground. This is where we will meet. It is just north of Silver Creek Plunge on the west side of the road. Free camping is available at the Forest Service Campground and at dispersed sites in the area. There is no running water, but facilities are available. Camping and cabins are also available at Silver Creek Plunge for a fee. The Plunge has a hot springs pool that you can enjoy for a few dollars whether you stay there or not. There are plenty of hiking trails, fishing holes, and other activities, so bring the whole family. It should be a great weekend with a very rewarding outcome. We look forward to seeing you there. If interested in participating, call Andy Brunelle, 343-1510.

Salmon and Steelhead Days Sept. 8-10 The third annual Salmon & Steelhead Days is coming up September 8, 9 & 10, with 2,900 fourth graders participating in activities during the three days. Organizers need your help to make their experience the best it can be. If you would like to be a volunteer--and get a great T-shirt for doing so--please contact Brenda Beckley at 334-2225. Shifts are 9-1 and 12-3 Wednesday through Friday and an additional one from 6:30pm -9pm on Thursday. You can volunteer for one or more of the shifts. Activities include: "Kids in the Creek" where kids wade out into the river to ascertain the health of the river by performing water tests and looking for macroinvertebrates; Gyo Taku (fish printing) where kids paint one side of a real (dead) salmon and create a print with it on paper; Macro-invertebrate Mayhem where kids become macroinvertebrates and see the survival rate of their species when stress is placed on the stream (a nice game of tag); a salmon Maze; Fish sculpture painting; a story telling tent; web of life; & Native American encampment. We also need guides who take each class from activity to activity. The activities take place at the Fish & Game complex at 600 S. Walnut in Boise.

Study: Snake River Chinook Extinct by 2017. Wild Snake River spring and summer chinook salmon could be extinct by theyear 2017 unless steps are taken soon to stop the declining populationlevels, said TU at a July 9th press conference. The extinction findings were reached in a peer-reviewed study conducted by Dr. Philip Mundy, which was publicly released on July 9 in Portland, Ore. Dr. Mundy, a well-respected and widely published expert on Snake River salmon, developed the extinction model based on counts of salmon on spawning grounds-the most reliable data available on salmon population trends. The salmon spawning ground counts have been conducted annually by the Idaho Department of Game and Fish on Snake River tributaries for approximately 30 years. "What makes this study so credible is that it is based on spawning ground counts-real fish in real tributaries," said Jeff Curtis, TU's Western Conservation Director. "Unfortunately, what it tells us is that wild salmon on the Snake River are in very serious trouble and could in fact be extinct in less than a generation." The study found that all five brood lines of Snake River wild spring and summer chinook populations are declining rapidly and, if present trends continue, will be categorized as extinct between the years 2008 and 2017. While some of those salmon may be returning to spawn in 2017, the population of the species would have declined to such a degree that the fish would have lost their ability to be self-sustaining beyond that point in time. A salmon population is considered extinct when it has lost its genetic diversity, which occurs when population levels drop to the point that inbreeding starts to occur. At one time, Snake River spring and summer chinooks were one of the strongest salmon runs in the Columbia River system. Their numbers in the late 1800s were estimated to be more than 1.5 million fish annually. TU released the study at a news conference in front of a billboard it erected in downtown Portland. The billboard featured a picture of an infant and read, "Wild Snake River spring chinook will be extinct before her 18th birthday...Act now to save the salmon." TU erected the billboard to draw attention to the study, as well as the importance of taking action to save wild stocks of Snake River salmon. Curtis said a variety of factors have influenced the decline of wild Snake River salmon, including dams, overfishing, the misuse of hatcheries, and habitat destruction. Download the study at www.tu.org/library/conservation/extinction .pdf. For questions, contact Jeff Curtis at (503) 827-5700; jcurtis@tu.org.

SET YOUR VCRS! In October Trout Unlimited Television will return to the airwaves on ESPN2. Host Tim Linehan, a Montana "guide of the year," travels to Black Earth Creek, Wis., the Kennebec River, Me., the Kootenai River, Mont., the White River, Ark., and more, where he chats with TU's conservation stars and fishes for trout and salmon. Episodes broadcast at 9:00 a.m. (EST) on Sundays through December. See www.tu.org for programming updates. Those on cable in Boise on the TCI system can tune in to Channel 27 at 7:00 a.m.

IDAHO STATE TROUT UNLIMITED MEETING STATE COUNCIL AGENDA SEPTEMBER 24-25, 1999 THREE RIVERS LODGE, KOOSKIA, IDAHO Sept. 24th 9:00 a.m. Old Business...Open meeting, introductions and a few remarks about what has transpired since the last meeting (stick to the point, respect other folks point of view, listen attentively but don’t make speeches. The chair will control the meeting so we all have time to fish). Minutes of spring meeting; Approval Treasurer Report and Discussion; By-laws committee report, recommendations and approval. Chapter reports. Results of Raffle & ideas for the future, what went right or wrong. Progress/status of MOA with Potlatch. Status report on Embrace-a-Stream projects. 1:00 PM New Business: Report of National Meeting. Major fund raising efforts & where do we go from here? Options and recommendations for TU State Council newsletter. Review and rearrange agenda for tomorrow Council. Afternoon fishing. Sept. 25, 1999 AM Budget for ’00. Regional Directors Reports on significant issues with IDF&G. Election of officers and board members for 2000. Status reports on hydropower issues: Snake, Moyie, Boundary Ck, Bear River—Others. Membership status and reports. Compensation and expenditures of council members—tax items. Spring and Fall meeting, agenda & training. Barbless hooks & legislation in 2000. PM: New agenda items as necessary. Public comments and open discussion of issues. Fishing.

North Fork Boise Bull Trout Weir Project . The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service are seeking volunteers to help with a bull trout population monitoring project. Volunteers have the opportunity to stay with researchers at a Forest Service cabin located North of Idaho City at the Barber Flat Guard Station. Work includes data recording and equipment maintenance. Schedules are flexible, so please call or send email if you are interested! The project will operate weekends through the end of October, unless we are snowed out earlier. Several options for housing exist for the project. USFS under a Memorandum of Agreement with USBR is providing housing for up to four volunteers per weekend in the guard station cabin. There are two rooms with 3, 2-bed bunk beds for a total of six beds. Two beds will be occupied by fisheries technicians on the weekends. The cabin has a propane stove and heated water, flush toilet, and shower. Plates, utensils, and associated paper products will be available. Water hook-ups for four camper trailers are available at the guard station, so volunteers could bring their camper trailer for the weekend. On-site camping areas are also available at the guard station. There is also an open fire pit for campers if they desire. Reclamation will provide hip waders and gloves for volunteers during their working period. If they choose volunteers can use personal sampling gear, however Reclamation cannot cover the cost of personal gear if it is damaged. Volunteers are insured in event of accident or injury during their working period, and radios are available for emergency communication. I'm rarely in town, but check my messages often. Please leave a message!! Tammy Salow(208)378-5330 tsalow@on.usbr.gov

Ted Trueblood Chapter Celebrates Free Fishing Day! ON SATURDAY, JUNE 12. Over 150 people showed to to fish and to dedicate the Lowman Nature Fishing Ponds at Tenmile Creek 12 miles east of Lowman just off Highway 21. The ponds were constructed by the Boise National Forest and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. This area previously was little more than a borrow pit, but with some hard work from the two agencies and some funding from the Sport Fish Restoration program the area was transformed into an alternative fishing area. Ted Trueblood Chapter volunteers and Idaho Fish and Game's Regional Fisheries Manager Dale Allen put on a Kids Fishing Clinic at 9:00 a.m. We were overwhelmed with the turnout, but luckily almost everyone brought their own gear and already knew how to use it. In fact, some Trueblood members were all thumbs when it came to threading a worm on the snelled hooks. Many of us lead a sheltered existence with artificial flies and lures! By 11:00 a.m., just over 100 people were counted fishing around the two one-acre ponds. Fishing, however, started out slow. Few hookups were seen. Another 75 people were observing, milling about, or preparing for the dedication and awards ceremony. As the hour wore on, the fishing picked up, with a couple of double and triple hookups observed. The dedication ceremony came off very well, thanks to the organization of Jennifer Jones, Public Affairs Officer for the Boise National Forest. Self-contratulatory speeches and plaques were passed around, (appropriately so given the work that went into the project), and the highlight was the Lowman School kids singing the state song "Here We Have Idaho," and then everyone joining in on "God Bless America. "We promptly adjourned the ceremony, and at 12:00 noon the kids made a mad dash for the catered lunch, courtesy of the Ted Trueblood Chapter. Photo courtesy of Casey Lund, Lowman School.

Editorial: WHY WE NEED TO KEEP THE BARBLESS HOOK RULE. This fall Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopts fishing regulations for Idaho waters, which they do every two years. Most of the rules stay the same, and most of the changes are not very controversial. Some are controversial, like the 2 trout limit enacted at Mormon Reservoir in 1997 (it's proposed for renewal this fall and should not be controversial this time around). Idaho Fish and Game has proposed to do away with the requirement for barbless hooks on many of Idaho's quality fishing waters. The same proposal was rejected by the Commission 2 years ago, after several fishing groups stressed the need to maintain the rule. An IDFG news release states that, "...research has shown that using barbed hooks does not affect fish numbers significantly and the rule, where it is in effect, causes confusion among anglers as well as an enforcement problem for the department." Studies apparently come down on both sides of the issue. A 1992 article concluded that barbless hooks caused less average trout mortality than hooks with barbs, for flies, artificial lures and bait. This "study of the studies" was criticized by an article by an IDFG staffer in 1997, which concluded there was little significant difference. Both conclusions are built from a foundation of hooking mortality studies which have small sample sizes, which limit the ability to distinguish differences. Meanwhile, these studies never considered trout mortality based on how much time a fish is removed from water, since it takes more time to remove a barbed hook than barbless, especially for those less experienced anglers. Also left unstudied are other biological impacts, such as sublethal effects on growth and productivity of fish that are handled for longer periods and squeezed tighter when that barb is deeply imbedded. When the issue is simply hooking mortality applied to managing entire fish populations, the marginal differences between barbless and barbed hooks are much lower than, for example, bait v. no bait. But many salmonid species in Idaho are now listed under the Endangered Species Act, and legal protection of these species (steelhead, chinook, sockeye, bull trout) extends to individuals, not just the population as a whole. That’s why you can’t kill ("take" is the legal term) or otherwise harm a listed species. And all reasonable measures should be taken to minimize take, including barbless hooks.
Take bull trout (no pun intended) for example. Spawning age bull trout number very few in individual tributary streams. Each individual mortality could be significant to reproduction of a local population. Therefore, any difference means that barbless hooks should be regarded as an additional level of assurance of protection of the listed bull trout. Requiring barbless hooks on quality fishing waters sends the correct signal to anglers to be more considerate of the fish they pursue. Catch-and-release and slot or size limits are rules put in place to minimize mortalities. All reasonable measures to promote this policy objective should be maintained.
IDFG appears to be not interested in enforcing the rule for social reasons. One journal article written by an IDFG staffer speculates whether IDFG is getting bad PR when people are cited for not using a barbless hook or not properly pinching it down. More disturbing is a recent statement from and IDFG spokesman who said some conservation officers go out of their way and target enforcement of the barbless hook rule because fly fishermen were able to keep the rule in place two years ago. Infortunate, if true, that such cynicism has crept into game enforcement decisions: citing anglers with a $40-$50 fine for an unpinched barb while wanton destruction of fish and game by socfflaws goes with less attention. It's no wonder that their news release has become a self-fulfilling prophecy "... an enforcement problem for the Department."

Conclusion. 1. Given the small the sample sizes in the hooking mortality studies, drawing a conclusion either way seems risky. The burden of proof in this case should certainly not be on the fish. Barbless hooks clearly do not hurt, and some studies show they are better. Therefore, the rule should not be repealed. 2. We need to look beyond simple hooking mortality studies at other biological factors for the difference between barbless and barbed hooks before changes are made to the existing rule. 3. Barbless hooks are safer and easier to remove from one's ear, or other unintentionally pierced parts of the body or clothing. 4. If IDFG is experiencing enforcement problems with the rule, then a fair compromise would be to change the current financial penalty and the methods of enforcement to something more collaborative, like showing anglers how to properly pinch a barb. This approach would make far more sense than outright repeal. It may also put the issue to rest for a while.

Ted Trueblood Chapter News Published 10 times a year Vol. 1999;
Number 9 Editor: Andy Brunelle
Comments and articles may be emailed to tutedtrue@aol.com.