Just a couple of thoughts about the politics of anadromous fish management in Washington State:

My next door neighbor is a prominent state senator whose kids I take fishing (along with Dad) with me - Especially when the pinks are in and hookups are more common.

He supports and practices WSR personally. When we talk of this, however, he's educated me as to the politics of anadromous fish management in this state. Politicians, including my neighbor, don't want to touch this issue with the proverbial 10' pole. That's why they've fobbed it off to the bureacrats.

According to my neighbor, the vast majority of voters in this state (1) Do not fish, (2) Don't read fishing magazine editorials (2) Don't access the internet to read the myriad fishing forums, and (3) Think that the difference between steelhead and, say, catfish lies in the gear one uses to catch 'em.

For a politician to take up this issue (mandatory WSR) would require a substantial and sustained lobbying effort. Logic and/or emotion will not prevail. Period. Numbers of voters are what rule the day in Olympia.

As for me personally, I am a strong proponent of mandatory WSR. However, I believe, and I think the science suppports the observation that the real culprit in the demise our once plentiful anadromous fish is watershed degradation.

WSR notwithstanding, with a pristine watershed I believe our fisheries could sustain a harvest (of hatchery fish) that would exceed our wildest expectations.

We need WSR, but most especially in the absence of aggressive habitat restoration.

Cheers,

Michael