NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091
Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov

January 21, 2005 Contact: Guy Norman, (360) 906-6704



Public meeting to focus on Columbia River
wild steelhead impact proposal

OLYMPIA—A proposal to provide greater flexibility in setting incidental impact rates on Columbia River wild winter steelhead will be discussed during a public meeting Wednesday (Jan. 26) in Tacoma.

The meeting will run from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Tacoma Sheraton Hotel’s fourth-floor pavilion at 1320 Broadway Plaza in Tacoma. The session, hosted by the Puget Sound Anglers, will feature a presentation on the incidental impact proposal by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WFDW) staff.

In an effort to provide sustainable salmon-fishing opportunity while upholding recovery goals for wild winter steelhead, state fish managers are seeking greater flexibility in determining limits on wild steelhead inadvertently caught during salmon fisheries on the Columbia River.

The Columbia River wild steelhead impact issue also was discussed during a recent public workshop of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, and in a public meeting last week for WDFW fishing advisory groups in Longview.