Smalma, Thanks for the info. I for one would always like to learn more about salmonid populations and their dynamics.


Jerry, I respectfully disagree.

Clearly under the blanket WSR, sports harvest of wild steelhead is banned on all washington rivers. This is despite robust healthy populations in some streams that can (and will under the tribes) withstand some controlled harvest.

Using the exact same reasoning, the WDFW would be justified to close all retention of wild halibut, sturgeon, dolly varden/bull trout, black rockfish, and chinook salmon (they are all but extirpated in certain parts of the state where they were historically abundant). There are local populations of each of the above species that are certainly in worse shape than any OP stream steelhead population. Nonetheless, there are healthy populations in other parts of the state that can and do support fisheries.

The problem is that now, whenver it is too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient, the WDFW can throw down a blanket closure statewide as it sees fit. Clearly, if steelhead, the most popular fish in the state, can be managed in such a way so can all other fish.

Now, if WDFW gets budget cuts in the future, maybe they put down a statewide ban on retaining chinook and let the comercials and tribes split the catch. They are much easier to monitor than the zillions of sport fishers in the state.

The danger of this sort of precedent, is that a vocal minority (WSC, and others) have convinced the commission to give away some steelheading opportunity supposedly for the sake of conservation (based on dubious science at best). Not only that, they have potentially jeapordized other unrelated fisheries, but setting a regulatory precedent.

Essentially the sportsfishers are not allowed to harvest, while other parties continue to do so. This may be politically expedient for taking the moral high road against the tribes on steelhead managment, but it sacrifices some opportunity for steelhead and potentially opportunity for many other species.

Clearly the steelheading community is split on the value of such a sacrifice.

I doubt most non-steelheaders appreciate the ramifications of WSR, but when they find out they will be most displeased.