I heard about this on public radio today during my commute home. I went to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife page and, sure enough, for $190.00, you can "sponsor" a steelhead.
I cut and pasted the article below and also put the link in.
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2005/december/15.asp NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS
News Releases for the year 2005
2005 News Releases 2003 News Releases 2001 News Releases
2004 News Releases 2002 News Releases --
Winter steelhead research project set to begin
Date: December 8, 2005
Contact: Meghan Collins (541) 440-3353
(541) 673-0372
ROSEBURG – The second year of a winter steelhead research project in the Coquille River system is about to begin, and the public is invited to participate.
“We’re looking for people who want to sponsor a steelhead,” said Shannon Osbon, the Charleston fisheries biologist leading the project. “Biologists will radio tag wild and hatchery winter steelhead, while the sponsor can name a fish. ODFW crews will track the fish and send a progress report to the sponsor.”
Fish will be captured in the Coquille River using nets or hook and line upstream of the Arago boat ramp before the fish migrate into various forks of the river.
This year, Osbon hopes to tag 50 to 100 fish. The first 30 people who sign up to sponsor a fish will pay $150, then the price jumps to $190 to help cover costs of a new type of radio tag that can be better monitored by agency receivers.
Radio-tracking winter steelhead in the Coquille River helps document movement of hatchery fish in comparison with wild fish. Key wild fish spawning habitat will be noted along with the number of hatchery fish on these spawning beds. Biological and physical data, including fish size, water temperature and turbidity will be collected. Creel census and spawning surveys also will be conducted to aid the district in determining population levels of steelhead in the Coquille River basin.
ODFW reminds anglers it is illegal to harvest a radio-tagged fish in southern Oregon. Signs to assist anglers with identification of radio-tagged fish will be posted at popular fishing sites along the Coquille River.
Groups or individuals who want to sponsor a fish should contact Osbon at the ODFW Charleston Field Office, 541-888-5515.
