The Value of Woody Debris in Streams

While filming American Dippers "flying" underwater I was amazed at the number of mayflies swimming and settling in woody debris piles. This happened when the salmon were spawning. In addition I was surprised at the number of juvenile Dolly Varden and coho salmon that concentrated around woody debris in winter. The connections and value of the debris seemed so important I decided to put together this video. Most of the images were taken with a GoPro camera in Juneau, Alaska.