FP,

Contact Steve King, head of the Clackamas office of ODFW which manages the Willamette and lower Columbia salmon and steelhead fisheries, at (503)657-2000. His assistant Craig Foster would be a good one to talk to also, and is in office more often.

I will say I agree about the time and handling factors of those Michigan studies FP. But what we have now is a much more educated fishing populace in general, with a higher percentage of fishers knowing proper C&R techs. Of course there are C&R crackers too; as with any aspect of life.

Petz, without trying to dispute the figures, I do think those older BC studies seem to be a little low for mortality rates. The former head of ODFW and one of the foremost expert anadromous fish biologists, Jim Martin, now has his own fisheries study consulting firm. I wish I still had his e-mail/number, because he too was involved in the intensive C&R studies mentioned above, along with many other studies. (anyone have his addy/number?). He contends that the overall average mortality rate on wild steelhead that have been C&R'd one or more times is around 10%. He also contends correctly that during C&R fishing periods late in the winter steelhead runs when the brats are fewer, that the level of sportfishing pressure drops off significantly enough that the 10% figure will not harm a wild run potential. This was in letters he sent to me when I was moderating another fishing discussion board (I still have them among a large stack of papers somewhere in this room); in conjunction with similar debates last year, as are occuring here now.

Those BC study figures of mortality by tackle type are significant for us all. I switch to barbless hooks, and swiash on plugs and spinners, for the second half of the winter steelhead season when the native fish are more prevelant. I think this should also become a mandatory regulation in both WA and OR from Feb. 1st to Mar. 31st in all steelhead rivers - in addition to the proposed WA regs to release all nates.

RT