914 | The Salmonfly Project with James Frakes and Jackson Birrell
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The Salmon Fly Project, co-founded by James Frakes and Jackson Burrell, is revolutionizing fly fishing conservation by treating aquatic insects not just as food for trout, but as vital indicators of river health. Unlike traditional water quality monitoring that relies on broad indices, the project uses specialized quantitative sampling with Hess samplers to count insects like salmon flies, stoneflies, and mayflies per square meter—turning bugs into 'game species' with measurable population trends. Their work has revealed alarming local extinctions of salmon flies across 14 blue-ribbon trout streams in the West, including the upper Madison and lower Yellowstone, with a staggering 84% statewide decline documented in Utah since 2000. These declines serve as early warning signals for ecosystem degradation, often driven by water withdrawals, drought, and temperature changes—especially in dammed tailwaters where salmon flies can't survive. The project’s mission is to use this data to influence state conservation policies, helping species qualify as 'Species of Greatest Conservation Need' and unlock funding for restoration. But the real power lies in citizen science: by training volunteers and hosting events like Bugfest 2026, they’re empowering anglers to become stewards who can detect changes in hatches before fish populations collapse.
Salmon flies are declining on 14 blue-ribbon trout streams, with an 84% statewide drop in Utah since 2000, serving as early warning signals for river health.
The Salmon Fly Project uses quantitative sampling with Hess samplers to count insects per square meter, treating bugs like game species to track population trends.
Aquatic insects like salmon flies are more sensitive than trout and can detect ecosystem stress before fish populations decline.
Anglers can contribute by taking the Salmon Fly Project’s 5-minute survey to turn anecdotal hatch observations into scientific data.
Local extinctions of salmon flies are linked to water withdrawals and temperature changes, especially in dammed tailwaters where they can’t complete their 3–4 year life cycle.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Heart of Fly Fishing: Bugs, Rivers, and Conservation
The episode opens with a powerful reminder that fly fishing’s true essence lies not in gear or destinations, but in the unseen world of aquatic insects. The host frames the Salmon Fly Project as a mission to understand how insect health reflects river health and why this matters for both fish and anglers.
Founding the Salmon Fly Project: A Lab to a Mission
James Frakes and Jackson Burrell, co-founders, share how their graduate research at the University of Montana sparked the idea for a nonprofit focused on aquatic insect conservation. They met in the same entomology lab and decided to turn their passion into action after graduation.
Quantitative Sampling: The Science Behind the Bugs
The team explains their use of Hess samplers to collect every insect on a known area of riverbed, enabling precise density calculations. This method treats insects like trout in fish surveys, creating measurable data to track population trends over time.
EPT and the Canaries in the Current
The episode dives into EPT (mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies) as a key metric for stream health. Stoneflies are the most sensitive, making them ideal early warning indicators. The team emphasizes that insect declines signal ecosystem stress before fish are affected.
Bugfest 2026: Bridging Angling and Entomology
“We're not teaching people how to identify your basic hatches. It's really about learning to tell the difference between the major groups, stoneflies, mayflies, caddis, your true flies like midges, and then understanding the basic life histories of those different groups.”
“to be teaching people how to identify your basic hatches. It's really about learning to tell the difference between the major groups, stoneflies, mayflies, caddis, your true flies like midges, and then understanding the basic life histories of those different groups.”
“We and other scientists have documented salmon fly declines, local extinctions on 14 blue ribbon and gold medal trout streams throughout.”
“the entire thing that drives aquatic insect development and brings them to a hatch is the accumulated experience of temperature, right? Because these are ectotherms. Their life history is completely tied to temperature.”
Host
Guests
Salmon Fly Project
organization
James Frakes
person
Jackson Burrell
person
Bugfest 2026
other
University of Montana
organization
Hess sampler
product
Maggie Human
person
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
organization
Dave Stagliano
person
Save Wild Trout
organization
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