Fish returning after landslide - Fish Bio gets it right

DizzyDigger

Gold Member
Dec 9, 2012
5,825
11,559
Concrete, WA
Detector(s) used
Nokta FoRs Gold, a Gold Cube, 2 Keene Sluices and Lord only knows how many pans....not to mention a load of other gear my wife still doesn't know about!
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
The anti-dredging organizations (Trout Unlimited, etc.) must
be feeling some heartburn after reading this article in a local
paper:

Biologists monitoring fish runs after Oso slide

Best quote of the article from a local fish biologist:

"Fish have evolved over thousands of years to deal with slides, heavy sediment
and other harsh conditions, Griffith said. "They're resilient enough that they're
coming back as they have for thousands of years."

Any of you involved with PLP (or other organizations) that are making
a legal stand for miners might want to pass this along to the group.
What these fish biologists are finding is that the steelhead are still
making their way up the river, working around the muddy water
and spawning.

This was a massive landslide that not only took too many lives,
it also completely blocked the Stillaguamish River for a lengthy
distance. The river re-cut it's channel, and made a couple of
new ones, and the spring steelhead are returning right on time.

This blows the hell out of the "Fish not Gold" argument that the
miniscule amount of sediment moved by a 4" dredge is causing
fish not to spawn.
 

Upvote 0

Bejay

Bronze Member
Mar 10, 2014
1,026
2,530
Central Oregon Coast
Detector(s) used
Whites GMT
Garret fully underwater
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
After the Mt Saint Helens eruption all the fish biologist screamed that the salmon/steelhead runs were destroyed. The runs immediately returned in tremendous fervor.

On the Siuslaw River in Oregon a tremendous forest fire laid open the whole drainage to a barren nothing on extremely steep slopes that caused extensive massive landslides. After that late 1800's fire the Siuslaw became second only to the Columbia River for the amount of commercial salmon produced....and major canneries immediately sprung up. The Siuslaw is a small drainage system. BUT it was second only to the Columbia River for the amount of salmon produced.

Such instances actually benefit fish and create structure. The structure and distribution of new sediments/gravels/cobbles/rocks/boulders is a necessary evil. Unfortunately the "Greenie" "Preservists" only look at the esthetic issue...and since it looks bad it must be bad. Pure ignorance of the real facts and nature.

Just think of the amount of historic mining activity on the Yukon. And yet the Yukon River is currently a world class salmon river.

Good info. Unfortunately the anti mining crowd fails to face facts and continue to ignore the benefits of the erosionary aspects of geology/hydrology.

Bejay
 

Aufisher

Bronze Member
May 12, 2013
1,948
4,830
The Golden State
Detector(s) used
Whites Goldmaster V/SAT. VibraProbe. Bazooka 48" Prospector Sluice. Shorts. Chickens + Goats + Goldhounds. 35' Chris Craft Caribbean motorsailer. FISH OIL + BURLAP
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
You nailed it. I see happy healthy fish all day. The fish appreciate the food and habitat that comes with our coexistence. My three passions are hydrology, fish and gold. Those who disagree with me are brainwashed uneducated fools! 20140323_120912.jpg
 

Last edited:

Frghtshkr

Full Member
Apr 23, 2013
100
41
Gilbert AZ
Detector(s) used
Gold Cube, Royal Mini Highbanker, Angus Mackirk sluice
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
They wont admit to this. because that was "natural occurrence"
 

Hoser John

Gold Member
Mar 22, 2003
5,854
6,721
Redding,Calif.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
After the Cantara spill on the Sacramento CDFG spent over $57,000,000 in 10 years of intensive studies(BS) and the worst they could come up with is" The fish are getting too much food and are not healthy because they are too fat" sic sic bs. They ran tests behind our 4-10" dredges on both river and creeks as I ramrodded through 3 specials for friends and no damage nowhere to nuttn' Fun fact ,huge flood 4 years later killed over 60% of the fish yet again and guess what 4 years later they blessed the river as"pristine and back to health better than ever-but Stopher still lied and NO DREDGING NEVER NOWHERE ,even the feeder streams. Lies,smoke,mirrors and bs all-John
 

Bejay

Bronze Member
Mar 10, 2014
1,026
2,530
Central Oregon Coast
Detector(s) used
Whites GMT
Garret fully underwater
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
They wont admit to this. because that was "natural occurrence"

You hit the nail on the head! In Oregon they tried to use the fish issue to remove dams....saying the dams were harming the fish runs. In those cases; where any inconvenience was found to exist for "fish passage", the issue could be resolved with new or modification and improvement in fish ladders. So then the argument became "Let the Rivers Run Free".

Man is considered to be an intrusional vermin on the earth by the "greenies". Only "natural happenings" are considered AOK.

Bejay
 

goldenIrishman

Silver Member
Feb 28, 2013
3,465
6,152
Golden Valley Arid-Zona
Detector(s) used
Fisher / Gold Bug AND the MK-VII eyeballs
Primary Interest:
Other
Even more proof that Mother Nature knows what she is doing. She's had a lot of practice over the years and for men to think that they can do a better job of taking care of things has got to be the height of arrogance.
 

Last edited:
OP
OP
DizzyDigger

DizzyDigger

Gold Member
Dec 9, 2012
5,825
11,559
Concrete, WA
Detector(s) used
Nokta FoRs Gold, a Gold Cube, 2 Keene Sluices and Lord only knows how many pans....not to mention a load of other gear my wife still doesn't know about!
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Even more proof that Mother Nature knows what she is doing. She's
had a lot of practice over the years and for men to think that they can do a better job of taking care of things
has got to be the height of arrogance.

100% agreed.

Carlin said it best: (Caution...contains adult language)

 

goldenmojo

Bronze Member
Dec 9, 2013
1,865
4,753
N. California
Detector(s) used
Bazooka Prospector-Sniper-Supermini Thanks Todd & Chris, Goldhog Multisluice Thanks Doc, My Land Matters Thanks Claydiggins, 6 Senses
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Dizzy That is one of the best things I have ever seen. That should be the go to exhibit in any lawsuit about toads, frogs, owls........Thanks for posting it.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top