ODFW steelhead satellite tagging project is a first for Oregon


by OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff
3-20-2024
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CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – If you've ever wondered where steelhead go in the ocean after they spawned in rivers, you're not alone. ODFW biologists in southern Oregon want to know too.

Biologists are putting satellite "pop-off" tags on 10 adult winter steelhead in the Rogue and Chetco rivers this spring. The goal is to tag "kelts" – the fish that already successfully spawned and are heading back to sea.

Unlike Pacific salmon, steelhead can spawn multiple times and have a much broader ocean distribution.

Steelhead are rarely encountered in commercial fisheries like salmon are, so much less is known about their distribution, migration routes, depth at sea, and more. Although this work is not a broadscale multi-year research project, it will provide this information, adding to biological knowledge of Rogue-South Coast winter steelhead. It is also the first winter steelhead satellite tagging of kelts in Oregon.

Tags are programmed for 180 days of data collection and will transmit position, temperature, and depth when a tag comes close enough to the surface. Satellite tags must be near the water's surface to transmit data.

This effort is one of the research items listed in the Rogue-South Coast Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan. It is funded directly by anglers that purchased the Rogue-South Coast wild steelhead harvest cards.

Anglers are reminded all radio tagged fish must be immediately released unharmed.

ODFW photo: ODFW biologists are tagging winter steelhead kelts to learn more about their life in the ocean.





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OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Friday, March 15th

Kilchis River: The Kilchis is looking very fishy right now
Miami River: Fishing conditions are good on the Miami River
Necanicum River: The Necanicum should be in good shape through the weekend
Nehalem River: The Nehalem has good catch-and-release opportunities for wild steelhead
Nehalem River- North Fork: The North Fork is slightly on the high side but has good color and is on the drop
Nestucca River: Should drop into great shape by the weekend
Three Rivers: Three Rivers should be dropping into shape
Wilson River: The Wilson is a little high still but is greening up and should be in prime shape tomorrow
Dexter Reservoir: May be increased fishing opportunity for warmwater game fish
Foster Reservoir: The first spring stocking will be in a couple of weeks
Santiam River ( North Fork) : River is currently running at around 3,200 cfs at the gauge in Mehama
Santiam River (South Fork): Currently flows are around 2,000 cfs at the Waterloo gauge
Campbell Reservoir: The reservoir is not frozen
Gerber Reservoir: The reservoir is 30 percent full
Klamath River - Upper - OR: Klamath River Fishing Report
Agate Lake: Agate Reservoir continues to rise and is now 100 percent full
Ben Irving Reservoir: Fishing will be picking up this week
Chetco River: The final two weeks of the season are here
Cooper Creek Reservoir: Trout fishing should be good
Coquille River: The North Fork Coquille River should be in good shape during the week
Diamond Lake: Diamond Lake is frozen over
Elk River: The few anglers fishing the river are finding steelhead are scattered throughout
Garrison Lake: Conditions are excellent for trout fishing
Plat I Reservoir: Plat I was overfull as of last week
Rogue River- Lower: Fishing has been good for both steelhead and Chinook when flows have been dropping
Rogue River - Middle: Should be in perfect shape by this weekend
Rogue River- Upper: Expect releases from the dam to increase by this weekend
Sixes River: Finally the river conditions look like they will be improving
Umpqua River: The mainstem Umpqua has been cold, high and muddy lately
North Umpqua River: The North Umpqua is still high, but conditions are improving
South Umpqua River : Conditions should start to improve
: Razor clamming reopens on Central Coast