Fishes of the Columbia Basin

by Dennis D. Dauble
Nonfiction, 244 pages, 6" x 9" softcover 147 illustrations, glossary, list of fish species, index and 16 pages of color plates
ISBN 978-1-879628-34-2
$16.50

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Introduction
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The primary purpose of this book is to describe the natural history of fishes commonly found in the Columbia Basin of Oregon and Washington. In addition to being a guide to the identification of more than 60 species of fish, it provides facts on their distribution, relative abundance and life history. This guide will help answer questions such as “What kind of fish is that?,” “How big do they get?” and “What do they eat?” It also provides information on fish behaviors that will help anglers figure out where, when and how to catch them.
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I was lucky enough early in my scientific career to have a job that allowed me to collect fishes from the Columbia and Snake rivers. Having the opportunity to study fish in their natural habitat and in the laboratory has given me a greater understanding of their life history and behavior. I have also drawn upon research and teaching experience to provide information on topics of interest to sportsmen, nature lovers, students and fisheries scientists. A broad view was considered because fishes are important for more reasons than fishing. Fishes are part of American Indian culture, they are good to eat and they live in interesting places, to name a few.
The region of interest is the interior Columbia River Basin. The fish I describe reside in the Columbia River between Lake Roosevelt and the mouth of the Willamette River. They frequent the lower Snake River, inland waterways of eastern Washington, and streams that flow from the Blue Mountains and eastern slopes of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon.
Rather than focus solely on individual fishes and their biology, I first provide a context for fishes and their way of life. Thus, the book has two parts, each with different emphases. The first part, chapters 1 to 5, provides the geographical, historical and environmental context for fishes that inhabit the Columbia Basin. Chapter 1 begins with a description of the regional landscape, including the different waterways where fishes reside and the human development activities that have impacted these populations. Chapter 2 describes the history of fishing in the Columbia Basin, from American Indians through current commercial and sport harvest. Chapter 3 includes early accounts of fishes from the journals of explorers in the region and the first scientific studies of fishes in the Columbia and Snake rivers. Chapter 4 is an introduction to aquatic ecology. It describes food webs and the life-history strategies of common fishes. Factors that influence the distribution and abundance of fishes are emphasized in chapter 5.
The second part of the book is intended as a guide to identifying common fishes of the Columbia Basin. Chapter 6 shows what characteristics to look for to distinguish one fish from another. Chapter 7 is a key that allows one to identify the most common species known or expected to occur in this region. Chapter 8 is the longest. It serves as a reference to the basic biology of fishes found in the region. Also included is a comprehensive species list, color plates of the most commonly encountered fishes, and additional references for readers interested in exploring individual species in more detail. Much of the information contained in the book is applicable to fishes found throughout the Inland Northwest.
I hope this book will be stored in your tackle box as a ready guide to fishes that you catch or encounter while wading or snorkeling in inland waterways. It should be taken along during excursions to rivers and lakes, similar to a favorite shirt or hat. Alternatively, it should be placed next to the bedside or on the shelf along with other outdoor reference books. Dog-ear the pages to readily locate a favorite species of fish, let it get water-stained and write notes in it. Memorize fish facts and use the knowledge to impress your friends and relatives. Life is too short for anyone not to have a book on fishes.
Acknowledgments
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Many individuals deserve credit for their support in completing this project. I thank my parents for letting me play in “cricks” and raising me to be both curious and critical. I am also indebted to my wife, Nancy, and our two grown children, Diana and Matt, for their tolerance of my passion for fish and fishing. Professors Carl Bond, Charles Warren and Larry Curtis from Oregon State University were each influential in teaching about fishes in ways that were intellectual and practical. For this I am grateful. I thank C. Dale Becker, Don Watson, Robert Gray and Thomas Page from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who served as mentors throughout much of my professional career.
Supporting illustrations in chapters 6 and 7 are from Carl Bond’s Keys to Oregon Freshwater Fishes and C.J.D. Brown’s Fishes of Montana. Permission to use the color photographs from Inland Fishes of Washington was generously provided by Richard Whitney. The banded killifish and tadpole madtom pictures were taken by John Sarcola and Bill Pflieger, respectively. I also thank Deward Walker, Eugene Hunn, James Keyser, American Fisheries Society, the Stark Museum of Art, Oregon State University Press, University of Washington, Washington State Historical Society, University of Oregon Libraries and Northwestern University Library for allowing me to use artwork and images from their works. All figures are from sources identified in the main body, where appropriate.
For the latter half of the book, I relied heavily on information from The Fresh-Water Fishes of British Columbia by Carl, Clemens and Lindsey (1967); Freshwater Fishes of Canada (1973) by Scott and Crossman Wydoski; Bond’s Keys to Oregon Freshwater Fishes (1973); Fishes of Idaho (1982) by Simpson and Wallace; and Wydowski and Whitney’s Inland Fishes of Washington (2003). This information was supplemented with research reports and scientific literature.
Finding the inspiration and time to write is one thing, finishing the task is another. It is only through the assistance of friends and colleagues that I got to an end point. Georganne O’Connor deserves credit for encouraging me to write outside of the mold of a practicing scientist. Her insight to the importance of story has been invaluable. C. Dale Becker donated many hours to review and edit this book, correcting challenges with grammar. Those that remain are mine. I thank Jack Nisbet for sharing his knowledge of the natural history of the region and providing a whole new context for understanding fishes. I also thank David Geist, Geoff McMichael, Mark Freshley, Darby Stapp, Janelle Downs and Bruce Bjornstad who reviewed different chapters. They helped set me straight on facts and advised on how to present them. My daughter-in-law, Julianna Dauble, and wife, Nancy, improved presentation of material in chapters 6 and 7. Darlene Mahon assisted with word processing challenges. Finally, I thank Ann Lamott for sharing how to get a grip on writing in the instructional novel Bird by Bird. Much of this book was written fish by fish.

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