A special deep-science episode about anadromy and residency in rainbow trout, with special mention of lots of other salmonids and organisms! For example, have you ever wondered why some offspring become a steelhead and others don’t? Did you know that anadromy and residency are influenced by a wide range of factors, including water temperature, food, competition, and streamflow? And that males and females often do different things because of different selective pressures? It may sound complex and potentially confusing, and it is. But in this episode, Dr. Matt Sloat joins John to discuss why one fish becomes a steelhead and another a rainbow trout.
Tune in to hear about their research in the John Day and Clackamas River basins, how water temperature influences fat, why fat is so critical to residency, and why the Deschutes River in Oregon is capable of supporting an abundance of both rainbow trout and steelhead. All this and more in an episode that is certain to improve your knowledge about steelhead and rainbow trout.