By Sophia Wagner, Student Conservation Association Intern at the Mid-Columbia Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office
Growing up in Colorado, I had never seen a salmon outside of the seafood section of the grocery aisle. I did though have a natural propensity for the water, and an eagerness to better understand the natural world. So, I applied to the Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office as a fish technician intern through the Student Conservation Association. Three weeks after finishing my undergraduate degree in biology and environmental studies in Pennsylvania, I was on a road trip across the country and to Leavenworth, Washington, where I dove into the 2024 field season.
You may be wondering, “What kind of work is done at the Mid-Columbia FWCO and where did I fit into all of it?� The Mid-Columbia FWCO’s work can be split up into three main branches: native fish conservation, hatchery evaluation, and habitat restoration. My role was to assist staff in gathering field data while learning as much as possible during my time there. Below are some of my favorite memories working with each of the branches during the field season.
Native Fish Conservation: Snorkeling Season with the Native Fish Program
July marked the beginning of my field season and the start of snorkeling surveys. We geared up in our dry suits and practiced moving both upstream and downstream in the rivers and honing our fish identification skills. For the native fish program, our snorkeling surveys took place at night and involved us identifying all sorts of fish but focused on catching bull trout with hand nets so that we could collect data and PIT tag them.
Bull trout are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. PIT tagging the fish allows us to collect data related to their movement patterns. Led by biologist Jose Vazquez, our research is working to better understand their life history, distribution in different habitats, and the potential impacts of threats including climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change and non-native species. The surveys take place at night because the fish are slower, more likely to be out in the open, and much easier to catch than in the daytime. There is something magical about snorkeling in total darkness with only flashlights. Not only was I able to see bull trout, but I also saw my fair share of gorgeous westslope cutthroat trout and redband rainbow trout. Some nights we would finish snorkeling and return to camp around 2 a.m., and I would get the best sleep of my life.
Hatchery Evaluation:
Spawning with the Hatchery Evaluation Program
The Mid-Columbia FWCO hatchery evaluation program monitors and assists three hatcheries: the Leavenworth, Entiat, and Winthrop National Fish Hatcheries. Spawning at the hatcheries is an orchestrated group effort between the hatchery staff, volunteers, and the FWCO, and it was thrilling to take part in the well-oiled machine. During spawning at each hatchery, hatchery-raised Chinook salmon that return from the ocean are brought to the tent where they are humanely euthanized. The salmon are then evaluated for disease, cleaned, and if everything looks healthy, the eggs and milt are harvested to establish a new generation of hatchery fish. These hatchery fish will one day be released and serve an ecological purpose in the rivers and oceans. Furthermore, when they return to the hatchery as adults in three to five years, surplus salmon are given to native tribes for sustenance and because salmon have immense cultural significance, while the other returning salmon will become broodstock broodstock
The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).
Learn more about broodstock that will eventually be spawned at the hatchery and the whole cycle will begin again.
Before going to these spawning days at the hatcheries, I had never been that up close and personal with these ancient, powerful, formidable creatures. It is a bit mind-blowing to take part in the conception of millions of fertilized fish eggs.
Chinook Salmon Spawning Ground Surveys
Perhaps my favorite task of the season was taking part in the spawning ground surveys in rivers across Chelan County. These surveys consisted of walking roughly 4 miles along different reaches of the river and searching for Chinook salmon redds and carcasses.
Redds are impressions in the substrate of the river that the fish make to hold the fertilized eggs, kind of like fish nests. Salmon do not have arms, so the females use their tails to move rocks to create redds where they lay their eggs. We are looking for a “pit-pillow� structure structure
Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.
Learn more about structure in the water where there are clean, recently disturbed rocks that form a hole, or pit, followed by a shallower pile of rocks that form the pillow where the eggs are kept. The pit changes the hydrology of the water and allows for aeration of the eggs in the pillow mound. It took a bit of training to be able to tell what we were looking for, but thankfully, Chinook salmon are so big that their redds can be very large (up to 5x5 meters). Once we find a redd, we collect data such as GPS location, if there is a fish present, and the size of the redd. Additionally, on these surveys we are looking for Chinook salmon carcasses to gather data such as genetics, whether it is a wild or hatchery-raised fish, age (based on the rings on their scales and otoliths or ear bones), length, and sex. This data is important so scientists can better understand how many hatchery fish are straying and mating with wild salmon. It also helps us understand how the timing of salmon spawning is changing.
While walking the river for these surveys, there is something very special about feeling so intrinsically linked to one’s surroundings. You are greeted with the chirping of kingfishers and the performative splashing displays of American dippers. One of my favorite things to do while on the spawning survey during a break was to find a deep pool in the river and snorkel over the area. On good days I could see up to 30 bright pink sockeye salmon chasing each other, while brooding summer Chinooks waited in the shadows, and whitefish and suckers hung out near the river's bottom. The cold water and natural beauty would immediately brighten my mood.
You pass through the same reach repeatedly as the season changes, watching the leaves turn from green to yellow to falling off the tree. Not only are the trees changing, but the river also goes through phases. Before the rain and snow came, the side channels dried up and the banks revealed themselves. The mud also exposed footprints of fellow passengers, whether it be a beaver, black bear, river otter, or raccoon. If you are lucky, you might just see one!
Habitat Restoration: Beaver Dam Analogs and Beaver Relocations with the Habitat Restoration Program
Although I spent most of my time working on hatchery evaluation and native fish projects, occasionally the habitat restoration program would have us assist collaborative projects performed in partnership with local non-governmental organizations. One project was to create beaver dam analogs (BDAs) on private land. When building BDAs, we pound wooden posts into the ground and gather sagebrush sagebrush
The western United States� sagebrush country encompasses over 175 million acres of public and private lands. The sagebrush landscape provides many benefits to our rural economies and communities, and it serves as crucial habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including the iconic greater sage-grouse and over 350 other species.
Learn more about sagebrush , willows, and other branches to create layers of vegetation and mud to mimic a beaver dam. BDAs help build habitat suitable for beavers, slow the water, raise the water table, create pools for fish, improve the water quality, and restore the riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian environment. In this specific project they had over 40 BDAs on the private land. It was spectacular to see how a couple hours of work completely changed the hydrology of the streams, and it was fun to be a beaver in training!
I was also able to help the Wenatchee Entiat Beaver Project with the relocation of a beaver named Mango to an area that had recently undergone BDA work. In our area, beavers are typically relocated when they start chewing on fruit trees in orchards. It felt very special to get to see this incredible animal up close and release her into a new, hopefully ideal environment. Gathering willow for her and sending her on her way was a special moment I don't think I will ever forget. Best of luck, Mango!
The Season Closing
Overall, I cannot truly express how much I have gained from this field season. Besides knowing exponentially more about rivers and freshwater fish, I am proud of the skills I’ve developed in these new ecosystems. If there is one thing that this experience has taught me, it is that there is always more to know, and curiosity and passion is essential to every scientific endeavor. I also feel extremely lucky to have been a part of such a dynamic, fun, and eager team. This experience has helped me realize that I want to pursue a career in some branch of aquatic field biology. I am so thankful for this opportunity to be a part of the Mid-Columbia FWCO team, and when I look back upon this experience, I will mostly remember the dedicated and interesting people with whom I was able to work. It is heartening to be even a small part of this important effort.
As part of the Leavenworth Fisheries Complex, the Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office evaluates the hatchery production programs, provides technical assistance, and assists the coordination of operations and production. The MCFWCO cooperates with other Service programs, agencies, tribes, and entities using and managing aquatic species and their habitats in the mid- and upper-Columbia River Basin.
Learn more: Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office | About Us | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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