08-31-2009, 03:36 PM
Those coho could be heading for Idaho, not the Yakima or Naches. I know, coho became extinct in 1995 in Idaho (and hardly anyone seemed to notice) but some people might not be aware that the Nez Perce tribe has revived the runs. They selected a coho with similar migration conditions, and introduced them several years ago. The new Idaho run is moderately successful and is growing every year. It is now being counted in the thousands, not hundreds, and they return not only to the hatchery, but the tribe has them spawning in the Clearwater and several creeks that feed into the Clearwater. We should be grateful to the Nez Perce for doing something that no one else seemed interested in. We should also remember that this is necessary because the traditional coho runs collapsed almost overnight. Mike
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