Steelheaders Needed For SW WA Winter-run Sampling Project

WDFW is once again recruiting anglers to help collect scale samples from natural-origin steelhead in a number of Southwest Washington basins.

It’s the third straight season the agency will use citizen scientists to better understand the various year-classes of winter-run populations in Lower Columbia tributaries ranging from the Grays upstream to the Washougal and beyond, and they have a goal of collecting 100 samples from each system starting January 1, 2025.

WDFW Spokesman Britton K. Ransford says the program has been successful in several watersheds the past two years and WDFW hopes to build on that momentum elsewhere in the region early next year.

To that end, a training session will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 19, at WDFW’s Region 5 office in Ridgefield (5525 South 11th Street) to go over goals of the project, sampling protocols and to receive gear and supplies.

Sorry, steelheaders, receiving “gear and supplies” does not mean biologists will be handing out sweet new rods and reels, buttloads of bobbers and jigs galore.

“Participants must supply their own fishing equipment. WDFW will provide all scale sampling materials. Volunteers are responsible for following fishing regulations and local, state, and federal laws, such as respecting private property. WDFW will not be liable for any loss or damage to personal gear,” reads a press release from the agency out today.

Target basins include the Grays, Elochoman, South Fork Toutle, Green, Coweeman, East Fork Lewis and Washougal Rivers and Skamokawa, Mill, Abernathy and Germany Creeks, but WDFW is also looking for scales from steelhead caught in other Southwest Washington streams outside of the Cowlitz, Kalama and North Fork Lewis systems.

Where in prior years volunteer steelheaders first needed to preregister to participate, that is not required this go-around, but you must either attend the training session or contact WDFW Fish Biologist Steven Gray (steven.gray@dfw.wa.gov; 360-906-6726) to receive a sampling kit.

The program runs through March 15.