Grassroots Conservation
The Midwest is defined by its deep-rooted walleye fishing traditions and a shared love of the natural waterways
Many walleye populations are currently declining at a concerning rate.
Science-based Best Practices:
Behind the Recommendations:
Scientific studies specifically focused on how fish respond to capture, handling, and release can be used to help reduce the negative impacts of catch-and-release, and act as the basis of βbest practicesβ shared here.
Dr. Andy Danylchuk, Professor of Fish Conservation at UMass Amherst, and Science Advisor for Keep Fish Wet, shares photos from a study in British Columbia, Canada β First Nations land of the WetΚΌsuwetΚΌen.
A steelhead is pictured being measured before a radio transmitter is affixed. These devices provide information on movement and survival after release.
Learn more about the science from collaborative partners at Keep Fish Wet
Angling Community in Action:
Each time you release a steelhead is an opportunity to put conservation into action. Help support steelhead and advocate for healthy fisheries management from cast to catch:
Share your own interactions guided by these best practices using #SteelheadInOurHands on social media. Follow along with the striper season and stay tuned for more stories, contests, and calls to action.
Following science-based best practices improves the chances of each steelhead being able to successfully reach spawning grounds.
Spread the word:
Weβre counting on community to put these practices into action: by recognizing the impact of our actions individually, we can collectively reduce catch and release mortality significantly. Get the word out to anglers near you with our free-use infographic, ready for display anywhere anglers may stop on their way to the water.
Illustration by Bri Dostie science-based best practices by Keep Fish Wet
Collaborating Partners
Mindful presence does more than improve our fishing outcomes
Being aware of our movements and the impact we have within an environment translates beyond not spooking fish: itβs a commitment to observation, awareness, growth, and reducing harm β with each other and the natural spaces we visit.
Confluence Collective supports conservation initiatives connected to the places we gather together through accessible education + empowered knowing. We aim to prepare you as an angler to embody conservation individually, imperfectly, consistently, and contribute to collective impact.
In this together
We are working to ensure conservation solutions do not perpetuate exclusion + patterns of colonization. Collaborative approaches are key for equitable access, particularly in ways that honor ancestral relationships with the land we recreate on, and center decolonization.
We all should be a part of determining what that access looks like, and do so with awareness of what makes each watershed unique.
Contact Confluence Collective to discuss initiative or campaign collaboration