Graphic from late 1970s showing movement of tagged fish in the South Fork Boise. Some indications of fish movement out of the South Fork. Did those fish start in the South Fork and move out, or did they come from somewhere else and visit the South Fork only to leave? The upcoming genetic study may shed some light on this topic.
It’s time to pitch in and help out this river we all love. We’ve launched an effort involving local angler groups and agencies (F&G, Boise NF, BuRec) to look into improving the SFB fishery. The first step is to understand what happens in this fishery since the trout have access downstream to Arrowrock Reservoir and thus the Middle Fork, North Fork and beyond. Migration of trout and Bull trout has already been documented.
We have an immediate need for volunteers for some of the following planned projects:
Tributary Flow Surveys
No recent data exists to support potential enhancement of tributaries to make them more accessible for spawners. We have a method to monitor flow rates but need volunteers to go by the river to take some quick, easy measurments from April 30 to mid-June. See some recent pictures of tributaries below.
Main Stem & Tributary Redd Survey
A Boise NF biologist did a thorough redd count in the main river from the dam to Danskin in 2007 and plans to repeat that next month. We have added counting redds in the tributaries for sometime around 5/31 and could use some strong volunteers.
Genetic Study and Fish Sampling Day – July 12
The center piece of the 2008 conservation research will be a genetic study to understand the origins of the fish that make up the South Fork fishery. The local TU chapter received an Embrace-a-Stream grant to underwrite part of the cost of this project. We are also looking for contributions to sponsor fish and sponsors will get a report back on that fish’s genetic history. We will sample fish (non-lethally) from the South Fork Boise below Anderson Dam, and the tissue samples will be used to profile the local rainbow trout population and compare it to an existing library of genetic profiles for wild rainbow trout populations throughout the headwaters of the North, Middle and South Fork of the Boise River. With this data, the biologists can determine where the resident fish originate and then we can determine if spawning enhancements in those location could help the fishery.
The sampling event will be on July 12. We need volunteers to FISH in the name of science or provide driftboats, cooking and shuttles for the weekend event. This looks to be a family event so all are welcome. We can include an informal competition as part of the event as well – should be a really fun day.
The centerpiece of the 2008 conservation research will be a genetic study to understand the origins of the fish the make up the South Fork fishery. We will sample fish from the South Fork Boise below Anderson Dam, and the (non-lethal) tissue samples will be used to profile the local rainbow trout population and compare it to an existing library of genetic profiles for wild rainbow trout populations throughout the headwaters of the North, Middle and South Fork of the Boise River.
