A fisherman on Oregon's Willamette River recently made a surprising — and delicious — discovery that could help protect one of the Pacific Northwest's most iconic fish.
In early October, Eugene-area angler Evan Yarbrough hooked something that felt heftier than the usual carp or sucker fish. According to the Statesman Journal, when he reeled it in, he saw a gleaming, 29-inch walleye — a species rarely spotted in those waters.
"We were all hyped and knew they're good eats and rare where we were fishing," Yarbrough said. Back home, he cleaned and cooked the fish in a traditional egg-and-flour batter. "It was white like cod and delicious."
Walleye aren't newcomers to the broader Northwest, but they are new — and growing — arrivals in this part of the Willamette River. In 2023 and 2024, unusual river flows flushed more walleye into the upper Willamette system. Now, they are showing up in increasing numbers — a shift that has anglers curious but biologists worried.
The problem? Walleye are voracious predators, and they compete with — and eat — young salmon. Salmon runs already face enough challenges, from warming waters to shifting river conditions. The last thing struggling native fish need is a hungry new neighbor with an appetite.
The good news: anglers can play a direct role in restoring balance — while stocking their freezers. Removing invasive fish helps protect salmon, which supports coastal economies and commercial fisheries.
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Jeff Ziller, district fish biologist for ODFW, summed it up perfectly: "If you get one in your hands, you're doing yourself a favor by eating it … and you're doing the river a favor because you're not going to have that extra predator out there feeding on the native fish population."
Other communities are finding similar success by getting hands-on with invasive species — from lionfish tournaments in Florida to the rebranding of Asian carp in the restaurant industry.
Folks who want to support healthy rivers beyond the tackle box can also make informed seafood decisions and look for community conservation opportunities like volunteering for local watershed groups or supporting habitat restoration programs.
And if you happen to hook a walleye on the Willamette? Local anglers have a suggestion: fry it up and do the salmon a favor.
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