The Wild Steelhead Coalition’s Brian Bennett joined host Tom Sadler for an online Waterside Chat on November 14, 2024, making his second appearance on the program. Brian is the Wild Steelhead Coalition‘s communications and social media manager, produces the organization’s podcast, “The Adipose,” and assists with other communication and advocacy efforts.

Among many great topics, Brian and Tom talked about:

• Wild Steelhead as Pacific coast icon and watershed health indicator (the fish spawn in climate zones ranging from from high desert to temperate rainforest)
• The work of the Wild Steelhead Coalition and the Now or Never Campaign
• The need to build a robust army of wild steelhead supporters as devoted to preserving the fish as they are to catching them, particularly as the climate changes around us
• How a wild steelhead is a rainbow trout that goes to sea to feed, and how the fish return not just to the same stream to spawn, but to the same spot in the stream
• How wild steelhead populations are at 3% of historical levels in Washington state, due to warming waters, habitat loss, harvesting and more
• Why a big pink salmon year in the Pacific means fewer wild steelhead in Idaho
• How steelhead have been around for millennia and have been able to adapt to many environmental changes, but they have not been able to adapt to the genetic impacts of hatchery-raised fish
• How rainbow trout start going out to sea as soon as we remove dams and other obstacles, making stream trout a genetic bank for the species
• How the species and the industry need us to create a long-term plan for survival in the face of climate change
• Why if you’re in the fishing space, whether as a consumer, fisherman or brand, you have a responsibility to conserve the species

Also in this episode: The Adipose podcast, with the Linda Mapes interview mentioned in the Chat taking place on October 02, 2024.

The Marine Fish Conservation Network's Waterside Chat series connects people who depend on healthy oceans and fisheries with the issues that directly affect them and their communities. Each episode the Network's Deputy Director Tom Sadler talks with different guests about ocean policy and fisheries management topics. He engages them in genuine and thoughtful conversations about what policy decisions mean for people’s livelihoods, communities, recreation, and coastal ways of life. Join the Network's email list to learn about future Chats. You can also watch past Chats and subscribe to the podcast on the Network's website.