Originally Posted By: darth baiter
So your idea for helping recreational fishing is to go to the old system of licenses pay for gamefish, general fund for food fish. So as opportunities for steelhead fishing continue to dwindle, relying on license sales to fund steelhead programs is going to make things better? Sure.


That's not my idea. My intent is to make WDFW responsive to the constituents who pay its freight, which is currently ignores. I'm not keen on GF (tax revenue) paying to raise hatchery salmon for CA, AK, and WA commercial fishing. What's in it for us (recreational anglers) when WDFW has no plan for recreational fishing other than setting sport fishing seasons that treaty tribes allow? What plan does WDFW have for recreational salmon fishing other than NONE?

Steelhead fishing opportunities are a different game. Steelhead fishing has dwindled mainly due to declining marine survival rates that WDFW is powerless to do anything about. And it has dwindled due to ESA constraints. And to some degree, NGO lawsuits over hatchery steelhead. And as long as WDFW will not advocate for recreational fishing and hands control of gamefish seasons to the treaty tribes, I don't see much need for WDFW in my fishing life. I would fish about the same without WDFW as I do with it.

I spend over $100 each for Montana, Oregon, and British Columbia non-resident fishing licenses, and lesser amounts on short term Idaho and Utah licenses and receive a much better return on investment on all of them than I do from my WA resident license. Why do you suppose that is?