15 th International Salmonid Conference Perspective:
A Summary of its History

Donald A. Duff, Workshop Coordinator,
Aquatic Ecologist - USDA Forest Service, Retired
Fisheries Management Section, American Fisheries Society
c/oTrout Unlimited
421 E. 10 th Avenue
Salt Lake City , UT 84103 U.S.A.
(801) 532-7241
email: tudtrout@aol.com

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This workshop is the 15th in a series of continuing national and international workshops held at 2-year intervals, since 1978, to provide technology transfer of pertinent state-of-the-science salmonid stream habitat enhancement, restoration, and management. This workshop entitled, 15th International Salmonid Conference, provides an interdisciplinary management and research focus for aquatic scientists and fishery biologists from Europe , North America and other Continents who have worked on many bankside, instream, management, and research programmes which have contributed to the restoration of salmonid stocks worldwide. This Conference is being held in cooperation with the United Kingdom 's Association of Rivers Trusts. The Conference is entitled, "Salmonids in the 21 st Century", and will focus on the future and management of trout and salmon at both the local and international scale, focusing on four themes, Post Industrial River Recovery, Marine and Climate Change, River Basin Challenges, and Fisheries Management.

Interest in stream habitat management and restoration has increased the last two decades. Increased emphasis in ecosystems and watershed rehabilitation for drainages in poor or unsatisfactory condition has been a major priority for many of European and North American countries dealing with management of their Nation's sportfish and commercial salmonid fisheries and water quality, as well as in other countries throughout the World.

The stream habitat improvement era began in earnest during the 1930's in North America when, through the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corp's (CCC), in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and States, thousands of habitat improvement structures were constructed in many U.S. streams. These early efforts were good to arrest streambank erosion from human activities, especially livestock grazing, but many met with failure as in any early attempts in a new science. Yet, many succeeded and are still visible and operational today throughout the U.S. Enthusiasm and emphasis for stream habitat enhancement and restoration has increased in the 50 States and Canada since the 1930's, and continue to occupy the goals and objectives of the fisheries biologists and managers.

The American Fisheries Society (AFS) along with other cooperators, such as, the U.S. Forest Service (FS), Trout Unlimited (TU), States, Provinces, and Universities, began to rekindle this national interest in stream habitat improvement in the 1970's so technology transfer of scientific and technological information on habitat and fish populations would be available to the manager. Fishery professionals met in 1978 at the University of Wisconsin @ Stevens Point, Wisconsin for the first in what was to become a continuing series of workshops on the state-of-the-science in this field. This initial group of scientists, working through the AFS and the other cooperators, decided to continue this effort every two years. The objective was to take the technology to various parts of North America so the information in specific regional geographic areas could be readily useful by others in the profession. We learn by example, by involvement, and by experience from both the positive and the negative aspects of the work. More field professionals could become involved in the work if the workshops were moved to different locations every two years for both economical and technology reasons.

Since the initial meeting, the workshops have been conducted in Ashville, North Carolina (1980), Jackson, Wyoming (1982), Arcata, California (1984), Loch Haven, Pennsylvania (1986), Rochester, Minnesota (1988), Waterloo, Ontario (1990), Everett, Washington (1992), Calgary, Alberta (1994), Corvallis, Oregon (1996), Fayetteville, Arkansas (1998), Waterville Valley, New Hampshire (2000), and in 2002 the first international venue occurred in Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland. In the year 2004 the workshop was held at the University of California , Davis , California . Since the 1990 workshop in Ontario generated so much interest within this continent and it was designated a "North American" conference but included a growing number of other fisheries scientists from European and Asian countries. Since that time the workshops have been designated "International" conferences and planning for them is guided by an international steering committee. This year's (2006) conference is the second to be held in Europe , and will be held for the first time in the United Kingdom at the Baltic Centre in Newcastle-Gateshead on the River Tyne from October 17 th to 20 th.

Sponsorship of the workshop has been with the previously mentioned agencies, as well as other State, Federal, and Provincial agencies in North America , and in 2002 with Ireland 's Central Fisheries Board, and other Irish groups and businesses. AFS Divisions and chapters, and universities at local and regional levels as well as non-government organizations like Trout Unlimited, also continue to cosponsor the workshop such as those who are sponsoring this joint collaborative conference.

One of the primary objectives and accomplishments of these workshops has been the exchange of scientific and technical information between fisheries professionals, academia, agencies, and countries at local, national, and international levels. We encourage all participants to continue this interchange, so that current state-of-the-science and management techniques can be made available to all users and planners, whether agencies, universities, publics, or conservation groups. This information has a value on both national and international levels in keeping emphasis on conservation of salmonids and their habitats foremost in the minds of administrators and agencies worldwide.

If you have attended past workshops in this series, or are attending for the first time, please keep your up interest, so that future workshops in this continuing series will occur. The Association of Rivers Trusts Program Board and Committees for this conference have done an exceptional job in developing and agenda for you in both technical presentations and field tour observation. They and the cosponsors, local and international, are to be commended for a great program. Enjoy the workshop!