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Researchers Track Cool-water Habits of Willamette Fish
from the Oregonian (Registration Required)
HARRISBURG—The research boat chugs down a side alcove in the Willamette River, wires dangling into the water from long poles jutting off its bow. Suddenly, a flash in the water. Josh Williams, an Oregon State University student positioned at the bow, jabs a long-handled net into the depths and pulls up a glistening cutthroat trout.
The trout, briefly stunned by an electrical charge from the wires, is an unwitting participant in a research project that may change the shape of the Willamette River in years to come. The fish, about as long as your forearm, has a tiny monitor in its belly that tracks the temperature of the water where it dwells.
Researchers led by Stan Gregory, an OSU professor, are using the fish to test their suspicion that unassuming side channels in the river are critical cold water refuges for fish, especially in the heat of the summer. If the suspicion holds true—and data from the fish suggest it is—cities and others that pour warm wastewater into the river may be able to make up for their impacts by restoring such areas.
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