Eyes on a River

On my drive in to work I typically pass by 6 or so Osprey, Pandion haliaetus. They are usually perched in Cottonwood trees like sentinels guarding some secret of the River that I wish I knew.  I have noticed something about these birds recently, although their brown and white coloration is distinct, the color patterns don’t appear to be the same from bird to bird; just as all zebras have black and white stripes, no two zebra’s stripes are the same. So I got to wondering, can you identify an individual osprey by the color pattern of its feathers?

credit: SDGFP

Like any good researcher I googled, “osprey feather patterns”. I struck out. All I found were general descriptions of the overall color pattern and habits of this species. Determined, I tried another search but again the information was general. “Dark brown and white raptor that prey’s solely on fish.”Sure that there was a better answer out there, I decided to try Google’s cousin, Google Scholar, where true geeks go for answers. I typed in “Osprey Coloration Patterns” and, alas, a 1994 article titled, Field Identification of Individual Ospreys Using Head Marking Pattern from the Journal of Wildlife Management was at the top of the list.

credit: USFWS

Researchers in France were able to identify 39 birds based on the feather patterns on their heads and then observe these birds over several years without disturbing (banding or capturing)them. The scientists found color pattern variation to be most distinct on the top of the head, but overall feather patters were different between individuals too. So, like the zebra, all osprey may look the same, but if you look a little closer you can see they are different.

credit: USFWS

By Angela Feldmann

Outta Here!

Springtime is busy at the Dworshak Hatchery.  The smolts have left via truck and forced release into the Clearwater river and its tributaries.  They will ride the spring freshet (high water) down the Clearwater river and into the Snake River system.  Once in the Snake, they will first encounter Lower Granite Dam.  Many of the smolts will be trapped in the smolt bypass system and loaded onto barges for the remaining trip down the Snake and Columbia Rivers.  Some of the smolts are PIT tagged and released back into the hydro system to evaluate the effects of barging.

Crowded steelhead smolts await release

On the Hatchery, releasing fish is a one to two week process in early April.  Chinook salmon smolts are generally released onsite, called “direct release”, into the North Fork Clearwater River.  The fish are forced out of the raceways with crowding screens rather than volitionally released (leave on their own accord).  This process generally takes one to two days.  The hatchery crew releases the smolts in the evening hours when the light levels are low and the seagulls are less apt to spot the young fish.  This strategy gives the young fish the cover of darkness to disperse from the hatchery and avoid initial predation.

Crowding steelhead smolts to the release channel

Steelhead smolts "direct released" to the Clearwater River

About half, 1.2 million, of Dworshak’s steelhead smolts are direct released into the Clearwater river.  The steelhead smolts are significantly bigger than the Chinook salmon smolts (8 inches versus 5 inches), and suffer less bird predation.  The direct release smolts are also forced out with crowders, but are allowed to volitionally release from the transfer channels.  Most of the steelhead swim out quickly, within 1 to 2 days after being forced from the Burrows Ponds.

Getting ready to pump steelhead onto on "off-site" release truck

The remaining steelhead smolts, 1 million, are transported by semi-tanker trucks to offsite release areas in the South Fork of the Clearwater River.  These releases provide fisheries and restoration benefits in the upper reaches of the South Fork.  The smolts are sucked onto the trucks with large fish pumps.  These pumps are specially designed not to damage the young fish when they traverse through the pump impeller.  Once in the transport tanks, the smolts are provided with oxygen and aeration for their trip to the release sites.  The transport times vary between 1 to 2 hours.  Once at the release sites, the fish are released through a large release tube – much like a waterslide for fish!

Releasing steelhead smolts from the transport truck

Whee!!!!

by Nate Wiese

It's Free! It's Fun! It's Kid's Fishing Day!

We are gearing up for Dworshak’s 22nd annual Kid's Fishing Day. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, May 12 from 8:00 am-3:00 pm at Tunnel Pond, near Orofino, ID. The Hatchery will provide all fishing gear, bait, and ice for your catch and will even teach you how to fish. If you are 12 and younger all you need to do is grab an adult and come out to the Pond.

Many agencies are joining forces to make this year’s Kid’s Fishing Day fun and educational. Kids can practice the art of Gyotaku, Japanese fish printing, can create large colorful flies, and can learn all about fishing, fish and what fish eat! Esskah Po Pow Wow will be selling food so you can grab a bite and stay all day!

As in years past, parking at Tunnel Pond is limited so there will be a free shuttle from the parking lot below Orofino High School, Riverside Ave, to the pond.

This is a great chance for kids and their families to get outside, enjoy nature, and catch a few fish!

Hope to see you there!!!

If you have any questions post in the comments or call Dworshak at (208)-476-4591.

Smolt 101

Juvenile Chinook salmon. Credit: Rodger Tabor/USFWS

I was talking with Ray Jones, a biologist from the Idaho Fisheries Resource Office this morning about our upcoming Spring Chinook Salmon release and the conversation took a very interesting turn towards the process of smolting. When an anadromous fish smolts it goes through a series of physiological, morphological and behavioral changes that readies its body for the transition from freshwater to saltwater habitats. The most noticeable change we see in smolting fish is body coloration. Pre-smolts, or parr show distinct pigment spots or bars. Smolting fish show a distinct silvering of their scales and underlying skin. This silvering is caused by the synthesis of guaine and hypoxanthine, two purines that are the result of protein catabolism (the breakdown of complex molecules into simpler ones).  If you think about the habitat a salmon smolt is transitioning to you can realize the importance of this adaptation. A slivery colored fish will blend into a pelagic (open ocean) environment much better than a brownish fish with spots and bars.

Chinook salmon smolt are silver in color and lose their parr marks.
Credit: Dr. Billy Conner/USFWS

There is a lot going on inside the fish too. There are a host of hormonal and cellular transformations that allow the fish to survive in salt water. These changes are very complex and are only seen in anadromous fish. It is amazing to know that these animals make the transformation from freshwater fish to saltwater fish and then one to four years later do the reverse!

Schooling Chinook and Coho smolts. Credit: USFWS courtesy of Yakama Nation Fisheries

So next time you see our friend the salmon, whether it be at the Hatchery, in the grocery store, or on the end of your fishing line, remember the journey these amazing fish undergo for their survival, and to benefit of all the animals (and people) that depend on them!

By Angela Feldmann

Maximizing Use of the Resource-A Connection to Food Banks and Beyond

One of the most popular questions at the hatchery is, “What do you do with all of the adult steelhead after you spawn them?”  Prior to 2011, the post-spawn adult steelhead were provided to researchers (e.g. bear food, nutrient supplementation, etc.), or used for outreach efforts (e.g. classroom dissections, etc.); however, these requests demanded a small portion of the available adults resulting from spawning operations.  The remaining surplus post-spawn adults were taken to the transfer station, a charge (based on weight) was assessed and the fish eventually made their way to a landfill along with other common household refuse. 

In 2011, hatchery staff contacted the local Food Bank of Orofino, Idaho in pursuit of acquiring a secondary use of these fish in addition to securing another brood year of eggs to meet hatchery production targets for the Clearwater, Magic Valley, and Dworshak hatcheries. 

On spawning days, a couple volunteers (referred to as “servants”) load post-spawned adult steelhead at the Dworshak hatchery into large totes in a truck/trailer.  These fish are transported to a local shop in Kamiah, Idaho where a growing group of diligent servants meet following the day’s spawning efforts.  An assembly line for processing the fish takes form and the fish are filleted, washed, chunked, wrapped and labeled. 

Fresh fish is then transported by volunteers to food banks in Orofino, Grangeville, Kamiah, Kooskia and Elk River, Idaho.  Nearly 1,500 steelhead were provided to area food banks in 2011 and over 2,000 steelhead will be circulated through area food banks in 2012. 

God’s fish going back to feed his people!

After processing, the carcasses (head, tails, bones and entrails) are utilized for compost by local gardeners…….thus maximizing the use of the resource!

By Mark Drobish

My Job as a Junior



Katie helping out in the Administrative office



I love to sing. It has been my passion since I can remember. My lifelong dream has been to make it on Broadway; to be an actress and a singer in New York City, the city of cities! But I knew that if I ever wanted to get there someday, I’d have to finish high school with good grades, go to college to become an even better singer, and, most importantly, get a job! Down in Burley, where I used to live, there weren’t very many opportunities for teenagers to get jobs. If there’s a rat race for teenagers, it’s getting jobs. It’s a very competitive market and only those with the best experience and amazing resumes get hired. So when I moved to the pretty little town Orofino and got the high school position at Dworshak National Fish Hatcheries, I was thrilled. It meant I was on my way to New York!



Having this job at the Hatchery has taught me so much in the past six months. I have learned how to file and use a computer more efficiently, how to pick out Mort’s (the dead fish and/or fish eggs), and many more things. The workers here at the hatchery are friendly, and made me feel welcome on the spot. My first day on the job, I was wearing high heels. Little did I know that I’d be carrying huge boxes up the stairs and would fall right back down the stairs with those boxes. But after all those who saw the scene and I had a good laugh, they helped me with the boxes. The working atmosphere is friendly, and during our breaks, laughter rings through the halls.



Katie winning Junoir Miss 2012

Every other Friday I’m in the office answering phones, filing, and doing other many things, and the other Fridays I’m down in the basement or outside, getting some one on one time with the fish. It’s a very fun job. I balance it out with being Junior Class President, planning prom, participating in Distinguished Young Women (which just barely ended for Orofino), and getting college applications and scholarships in.

This job, I believe, has in a way, helped me on my way to becoming more mature and ready for the real world. It has taught me how to be responsible, how to act around co-workers, and how to do many things that will help me in my future life (such as filing taxes and tax returns, how to use an Excel spreadsheet and how to make labels, and much more).

Katie pours steelhead eggs into a hatching column

 

I am so glad that the hatchery has a program for high school students to come in and work. It has helped me on my way to my dream, and has helped me to become more mature. I now know what is expected of one when they work for someone. I am so glad for the opportunity to work here and hope to keep working here for a long time yet.

Fish Health Externship

Hello! My name is Charlie and I am a senior veterinary student at Mississippi State University. I had the opportunity to spend one week at the Idaho Fish Health Center, as part of a month long externship devoted to fish health. The majority of my time in Orofino was dealing with fish health monitoring for the neighboring Nez Perce Tribe. I was able to visit and collect fish from acclimation points along the Snake River. The acclimation points are called Fall Chinook Acclimation Facilities.

The fish that are being held at these facilities are being monitored and acclimated until they are ready to be released.  Our health monitoring involved taking samples from a small group and performing special tests to determine the health status of the entire group. This testing is very important in that it will reduce the risk of introducing diseased fish into the wild. My time at the Idaho Fish Health Center was very rewarding and gave me a chance to understand what happens behind the scenes at a National Fish Health Center. Everyone at the lab was eager to teach and allowed me a great deal of hands-on experience. I had a wonderful time at the Idaho Fish Health Center and hope to visit again!

by Charlie Tucker