Story and Video  by Devan Reid, Sr. Fisheries Technician

Located at Twin Bridges, near White Bird, Idaho, is the Smolt Monitoring Project’s Salmon River fish trap. The incline plane scoop trap is designed to catch smolting salmon and steelhead trout on their way to the Pacific Ocean. The fish are directed into the trap by river flow, guided up an incline belt, and forced across a perforation plate into the livewell. Fish are then netted and anesthetized in preparation for tagging.

Spring and summer run Chinook salmon as well as steelhead trout smolts comprise the majority of fish caught in the trap. Smolts are PIT-tagged, measured, examined for condition, and then released back into the river to continue their downstream migration.

Check out the wild salmon and steelhead page for more articles about the science behind conserving Idaho’s wild salmon and steelhead.