Federal Court Halts Hatchery Summer Steelhead Releases In Oregon’s North Santiam River, Says Could Harm Declining Wild Winter Steelhead
Oregon can no longer release hatchery summer steelhead into a major Willamette River tributary because of the potential the hatchery fish could harm the existence of a declining population of threatened wild upper Willamette River winter steelhead, at least until NOAA Fisheries completes a new biological opinion for the river. According to recent estimates, wild…