Originally Posted By: Smalma
CM has it exactly right. Just a year to two before Todd was catching his first steelhead the three legs of Washington steelhead was a fish was a fish (hatchery and wild fish were the same), sport fishing was incapable of overfishing steelhead and escapement needs were only a redd/mile. Just 5 short years after Todd had caught that first steelhead a cadre of young fisheries biologist (nearly all coming to the agency in the 1970s) had changed that management paradigm in significant was: The first hatchery/wild steelhead studies were under way (Kalama River), basic wild steelhead studies underway on Snow Creek (the creek CM referred to); basic steelhead inventories under way in key basins, large scale creel surveys to sample the recreational steelhead catch, estimate angler effort, etc. were under way, mark selective fishing (folks remember those dread "fin cards") was being implemented, hatchery spawning protocols were being altered to reduce potential hatchery/wild interactions, spawning escapement goals being established, basin wide spawning surveys were under way to measure the escapement and management was adjusted to assure that meeting those spawning objectives were being met with wild steelhead spawners all the while generally meeting the newly federal mandated catch sharing.

Many of that cadre of young biologist were certifiable steelhead nuts, most not afraid to work long hours (60-hour weeks not uncommon) many willing to donate their weekends (and fishing) to assure so the tasks dedicated by the above changes were being full filled. All this was accomplished with little public support including the steelheaders themselves. Remember many hotly contested public meetings discussing such things like mark selective fishing, escapement goals, etc. that would be heavily attended with few "friendly faces" in the crowd. I remember well (and probably still have some of the well-earned scars obtained at these meetings) discussing the implementation of those previously mentioned fin cards on the Snohomish system that was attended by more than 300 folks where I could have easily counted the idea supporters on my two hands.

Of that cadre of young biologists that are still with us are now all retired drawing their "rocking chair" money now. With a doubt there were many mistakes made; they after all were inventing a new paradigm but there can be no denying their passion and the positive steelhead responses to those changes. Clearly my bias shows but my opinion is they collective advanced the science of steelhead management and significantly improved the status of the resource. Further it remains my opinion is we society not those biologists that failed the resource. Collective society as a whole has been unable or perhaps incapable to protect the needed fresh and marine waters ecosystems essential to support the 1980s steelhead abundance levels. It was and remains the responsibility of society not those biologists to provide that habitat protection.

End of the rant; not sorry about it.

Curt

Curt

OK... fair enough, but I'm NOT buying all of it. It could have been done better. The necessary tasks required for meaningful steelhead conservation are simply too fragmented among too many agencies.

The diffusion of responsibility for protecting the viability of the species has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that no single agency/entity could be expected to shoulder the breadth, depth, and complexity of habitat protection, hatchery production, AND harvest management... so the load of responsibility is split among multiple disciplines of expertise.

At the same time, it's a curse in that without a single authority to accountably coordinate these activities everywhere steelhead live, their meaningful execution becomes mission impossible. The same can be said for the rest of the salmonid family.

Biggest failure by far is on the habitat protection side of the equation... far too many uncoordinated cooks with their hands in the broth, too often at odds with one another. Human encroachment and overpopulation, particularly in Puget Sound, has "reclaimed" and altered habitat for human conveniences at the expense of the wild creatures that depend on the same real estate and the waters flowing thru it. Abundant populations of anadromous salmonids are simply incapable of co-existing with the environmental assault of millions of people.

The collective "WE" is the ultimate enemy.
_________________________
"Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone." (Zane Grey)

"If you don't kill them, they will spawn." (Carcassman)


The Keen Eye MD
Long Live the Kings!