The following was taken from the current issue of Fishing and Hunting News:


Fishing and Hunting News has just published the first part of a two part conversation with state WDFW commissioners Cahill and R.P. Van Gytenbeek. In the first installment Cahill says: "The issue has been fermenting for years, I would call it a culture war between the catch and release fly fishermen, and people who want to take home a fish. It has been a pretty viscious war, They call each other names, yell at public hearings." The article says of Van Gytenbeek> " The proposal to ban wild retention was made by commissioner R.P. Van Gytenbeek of Seattle, an avid fly angler." " He initially proposed a permanent ban. When that failed to pass, however, a six year ban was proposed. When that failed, Commissioner Russ Cahill of Olympia proposed the two year program, which passed by a 5-3 vote." Cahill said of his decision to go along with the compromise: " I think a two year moratorium is a conservative approach, a deep breath, while the WDFW gets the science put together, Then the decision can be made again. That's why I voted for this particular version."

Comments from WDFW went like this: "While wild steelhead moratoriums have been in effect on rivers where steelhead runs are in danger, about a dozen streams on the Olympic Peninsula as well as King County's Green still allowed keeping wild fish. That's because runs on rivers such as the Hoh, Bogey, Calawah and others are at all-time highs, according to Bob Leland, steelhead program manager for WDFW., In fact, WDFW staffers seem to be surprised , if not shocked and dismayed, at the cecision by the commission. If these rivers are in such excellent steelhead shape why the ban? Moreso, why the ban now, when WDFW is still at work on a two -year steelhead stewardship management plan for these rivers?"

And the debate (and BS) goes on.......