est. 2000
An organization dedicated to increasing the return of wild
steelhead to the waters of the Pacific Northwest
|
Wild Steelhead Coalition | |||||
est. 2000 An organization dedicated to increasing the return of wild |
||||||
Vice President of Science , Nate Mantua
Anadromous fish and fishing have always been a big part of my life. I was raised in the fishing community of Bodega Bay, California. I caught my first wild steelhead in January 1977 plunking eggs in the tidewater section of Salmon Creek, a small coastal stream about 70 miles north of San Francisco. As a teenager I worked 2 summers on a commercial troller, targeting King salmon in the coastal waters of northern California. After finishing graduate school, I spent 3 summers as a salmon/trout sportsfishing guide for Alagnak Lodge in southwest Alaska.
Professionally, I've been in academia since 1994. I earned a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington for graduate studies focused on El Nino and the Southern Oscillation. I spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow at Scripps Institution for Oceanography studying climate prediction, before leaving the dry side of California and returning to steelhead country. Since 1995 I've worked at the UW as a research scientist, and in the fall of 2006 I joined the faculty at the UW's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. In April 2000 I received NOAA's Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for my research into climate impacts on ecosystems and society. I have authored or co-authored several articles about climate impacts on Pacific salmon and steelhead, and I have served on a variety of scientific, management, and conservation committees, including the following: a scientific steering committee member for the US Global Oceans-Ecosystems Dynamics research program, a member of the North Pacific Marine Sciences (PICES) Physical Oceanography and Climate Committee, a member of the Federation of Flyfishers Steelhead Committee, and a member of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Steelhead and Cutthroat Advisory Panel.
"In the short time I've lived in this region we've seen so many declines in wild steelhead numbers and fishing opportunities. Ironically, I moved to Seattle in 1988 with hopes of enjoying the kind of steelhead fishing that had been long-lost in my home region of Northern California. For me, it's time to stop chasing after yesteryear's fish, and take a stand for restoration, right here, right now. The Wild Steelhead Coalition has the kind of enthusiastic, committed, and talented people needed to help turn the troubling trends in our steelhead populations around. Like a lot of the group's members, I'm new to the world of volunteer conservation organizations, yet eager to get involved with the heavy lifting that we must embrace if we wish to succeed."
“I have been involved with many non-profit groups over the past 10 years, but have found none so dedicated and focused as the Wild Steelhead Coalition. This group has made huge impacts on the future of our Northwest Steelhead and I am looking forward to years ahead helping steelhead.”