The last thing we need as sport fishers is one more rule governing hw we fish. We are already regulated to death as it is. There have been at least two different studies quoted. One supossedly said that barbless hooks help and the other supossedly said there was no difference. This needs to be a personal choice. One thing I have seen is that a barbless hook tends to penetrate deeper than a barbed one. If we go to a statewide ban on barbed hooks in the name of reducing mortality of wild steelhead then we also have to go along with eliminating the Mar-Apr C&R season specifically targeting wild steelhead! Afterall this is about conservation of wild steelhead right?
Sparky: You asked the question "What have you done for the fish lately?" I noticed you didn't mention what part you have played other than being a member of the WSC. Over that last four years I have been involved in almost fifty restoration projects in some form or fashion in Snohomish County through my job. I spend the summer hacking blackberries and reed canary grass and other noxious weeds. And spend the fall/winter either doing site prep, planting, or salvaging native plants to be used for restoration work. I have done work for the Snohomish Conservation District, Snohomish County Surface Water management, Adopt-A-Stream, Stilly/Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force, and the Lower Stilly Flood Control District. I do this not for any recognition. I do it for personal satisfaction and to mitigate some of my impact upon the environment by my existence in this world and the fact I like to fish.
I tried to get local fishers together earlier this year for a plant salvage in Machias and had a whole six people show. Why the small turnout? Because everyone had something else going on. That is always the story with us. We b****h alot but won't put our money where our mouths are. Just like the reference earlier about the lack of turnout for saving Reiter. I was involved in that as well. I wrote letters, emails, and attended the meeting in Snohomish with WDFW reps, two state reps, Bob Heirman, and Gary Bee. Compared to all that utilize the fish from Reiter it was a very small number of folks that went to bat for all and put pressure on WDFW to re-think their decision. I also spent two days Clipping fins to show we were committed.
Sorry for the rant folks but we need to concentrate on the things that can make a real difference: commercial by-catch, tribal exploitation, excessive population growth, and continued habitat destruction. When you look at the big picture the barbed-vs-barbless debate is but a very very small symptom of the much larger disease that affects all our wildlife resources. Not just steelhead!

Chumcatcher