Trout Unlimited to study South Fork fishery

Trout Unlimited, the nation's oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization, has awarded a $6,000 Embrace-A-Stream grant to its Ted Trueblood Chapter to fund a genetic study of local trout.

The South Fork of the Boise River is a premier wild rainbow trout fishery and recent evidence suggests that the fishery may be in decline because of fishing pressure, development and growth. Monitoring studies of native redband trout in the river show that those fish populations are decreasing. By analyzing the genetics of existing trout in the river, it is hoped that more information will be gained about the fish that live in the river.

The chapter will partner with the Boise Valley Fly Fishermen, Boise National Forest, as well the Idaho Department Fish and Game and the Bureau of Reclamation to do the study.

The chapter will also raise money by selling "sponsorships" of individual trout that lives in the river and will be measured and released back into the river. In becoming a sponsor of an individual fish, a person will receive the genetic lineage of the fish as well as the study's results.

The chapter's website is http://www.southforkboise.org/

Embrace-A-Stream is the flagship grant program for funding TU grassroots conservation efforts. Funding is provided primarily by TU members, with additional support in 2008 provided by Costa del Mar and the FishAmerica Foundation. An Embrace-A-Stream Committee comprised of TU volunteer representatives and scientific advisors evaluates all proposed projects and makes the awards.

"We are excited to receive financial support from the national Trout Unlimited Organization for this research," said Ted Trueblood Chapter President, Chris Topmiller. "Recent evidence suggests this fishery may be in decline. With the significant population growth in southern Idaho, fishing pressure has increased to the point where interested angler groups and government agencies are paying attention to the status of the fishery."

Trout Unlimited is North America's leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with more than 150,000 members dedicated to the protection and restoration of trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.