Salmon, steelhead production and volunteer opportunities on tap at North 40, Nov. 5

ROSEBURG, Ore – Anglers and others interested in salmon and steelhead production in the Umpqua Basin are invited to meet ODFW fish biologist Evan Leonetti at 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 5 at North Forty Beer Company, 435 SE Jackson Str., Roseburg. Leonetti will offer a short slide show on fish production, monitoring, and upcoming volunteer opportunities. Leonetti will discuss a hatchery winter steelhead coded wire study to improve angling in the South Umpqua River. The study depends on anglers removing the snout from harvested winter steelhead and placing it in specially marked barrels at popular boat ramps. The goal is to adjust hatchery winter steelhead release timing to improve future angling, particularly in the South Umpqua River. Fish were tagged in February 2019 and released in both March and April from acclimation sites in Canyonville. “Data from the coded wire tags helps us determine which of these releases gives anglers a better opportunity to land a hatchery winter steelhead,” Leonetti said. Leonetti will provide results from last year’s initial research and recruit volunteers for this year. Volunteers are needed to collect snouts from barrels. Other topics include salmon and steelhead monitoring through spawning surveys in Smith River and fish counting at traps in Galesville and Canyonville. These activities are also in need of volunteers. The meeting will run just one hour and is held on the second floor of the brewery.