Keep'em Wet

Keepemwet started by Bryan Huskey 5 years ago when he was asked by a local fly club to give a presentation about his trout photography. He outlined anglers' responsibility to be good stewards of the resource and to handle catch & release fish with exceptional care, especially when additional time is taken to photograph fish. He called this portion of his presentation "Keep 'em Wet" that has transended into the hashtag #keepemwet. 

This winter, Native Fish Society  launched the “Keep ‘Em Wet” campaign to increase angler awareness about the negative effects of air exposure to wild fish.

"Don’t take us wrong,  I'm not saying we are purest, we’ve all taken fish out of the water to snap a photo, Native Fish Society staff members included.  But the more we learn about  handling fish we love the more healthy wild fish there will be to catch. 

As an outfitters Marty and I have have practised catch and release techniques from early on, teaching sports how to properly handle fish and how to minimize air exposure when taking photos.   

Even when anglers are taking precautionary measures, like crushing the barb, prolonged air exposure can make it difficult for fish to recover and there are delayed negative effects that may not be apparent even if the fish seems fine when it swims away.

Studies have shown that the longer a fish is exposed to air after exhausting exercise the higher their mortality rates are (Ferguson and Tufts, 1992; Gale et al, 2011).  Even 30 seconds of air exposure reduces a trout’s ability to recover and can provide a significant additional stress even when catch and release fishing (Ferguson and Tufts, 1992).

So, let’s get creative with the way we photograph our wild fish by keeping them wet and in the water.  Here's a few recommendations.  Till May 31st 2015, NFS will be holding a photo contest for the best picture of a wild, native fish from the Pacific Northwest with at minimum its gills in the water."

1. Keep the mouth, gill plates in the water cradling the backside of the fish or hand right under the pectoral fin, not squeezing the fish and  hold the tail with the other hand firmly. 

Wild 2013 photo by Marty Sheppard

2. Hold the tail firmly and lay the fish flat covering the gill plate. 

Winter Buck 2011 by Mia Sheppard

3. If you do feel inclined to take a photo of the fish out the water, quickly lift  for a second or two and then submerge the fish back. If you see there is no water dripping off the fish or its mouth is wide open gasping for air, it's been out of the water way to long. 

How to Enter the Photo Contest

To enter, email your photograph to mark@nativefishsociety.org and we will post it to our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts with the hashtag #keepemwet. The top three photos with the most likes combined will win prizes!

Prizes for the Top Three Finalists

The first place winner will receive a brand new Gary Anderson Custom 12’0” 7wt Spey Rod donated by NFS Board Treasurer Peter Tronquet.  Our two runners up will get to choose between a day of steelhead fishing with Washougal River Steward Steve Lent on the Sandy River and a day of trout fishing with Willamette Valley Regional Coordinator Kyle Smith on the McKenzie River.

The three winning photographs will be published in the Summer 2015 issue of Strong Runs. Let the contest begin, good luck, and Keep Em’ Wet!

- See more at: http://nativefishsociety.org/index.php/conservation/keep-em-wet-campaign-photo-contest/#sthash.GhezXHJO.dpuf

Little Fish, Big Deal

The return of smelt to the Sandy River over the last few weeks brings back memories of my childhood; dip netting for the herring sized fish with ease with my family in the late 70's.. It also reminds me of the rich and diverse ocean food web that is so crucial to steelhead survival. Salmon and steelhead spend 3 or 4 years feeding in the ocean and rely on an abundance of oily, protein-rich forage fish like smelt to survive their long journey back to their spawning grounds.

A healthy ocean ecosystem is important to anyone who fishes the many salmon bearing streams and rivers in Oregon. Unfortunately, we are not always aware of what’s happening outside of the river system. Forage fish are dynamic species and many factors affect their abundance including water temperature, fishing pressure, and shoreside development.

The smelt have been noticeably absent over the past few years and were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2010. It’s not uncommon for these fish to disappear for years and then return in huge numbers. This year’s run looks to be at least 20-miles-long containing millions of smelt. Many anglers are reporting partially digested smelt in the stomachs of spring Chinook and Marty witnessed  sturgeon in the Sandy mowing down on the smelt buffet this week  as well as bald eagles and other birds of prey. It is one of the most incredible sights to see.





It’s ironic to witness this considering we just signed a petition last week to protect these small bait fish.

The Pew Charitable Trusts works with the Pacific Fishery Management Council to protect forage species in the ocean to help ensure that they are accounted for as an important part of the ecosystem and a critical food source for predatory fish such as salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and tuna. The Council will be looking at how to manage these critical species at their meeting in Vancouver, Washington on April 10th and they need to hear from anglers like you. To learn more about their work and take action to protect this vital food source for our steelhead, click here. 

By Mia Sheppard and Tara Brock - contact Tara- Campaign Associate for Forage Fish for additional info 503-221-7922 x 224