I just got this email today. Anyone else hear from their elected officials. And is anyone else still very leery of this substitute bill?

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Dear Bruce,

Thank you for your e-mail message expressing your opposition to Senate Bill
5104, an act relating to catch and release recreational fisheries.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission has established catch and release fisheries
for steelhead trout in certain state waters, but there is no statutory
framework to guide them in regulating such fisheries. There is concern that
proper management of catch and release fisheries is needed to ensure that
steelhead stocks are not harmed. SB 5104 was introduced to set out certain
requirements and guidelines that must be met before a catch and release
steelhead fishery can be authorized. However, the bill was amended in the
Senate Natural Resources Committee to remove specific statutory requirements
for actions of the Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The new substitute bill simply states that the Fish and Wildlife Commission
must not authorize steelhead catch and release fisheries in cases where
there is insufficient enforcement staffing to assure that there is a low
steelhead mortality rate. Further, the commission must assess the threat to
steelhead trout that occurs in catch and release fisheries while spawning
fish are present, and a steelhead catch and release mortality study must be
conducted to assess rates of mortality, including situations where fisheries
are conducted in warm water conditions.

Special fees for catch and release fisheries have been deleted from the
bill, and fishers would not be restricted in the number of days per week
they can fish or in the number of steelhead they can catch and release per
day. The angler education program is no longer included, and the
prohibition on the fishing for spawning steelhead has also been removed.
Penalties for poaching would not be changed.

We believe that the substitute bill is a fair compromise that provides a
sensible approach to steelhead management with minimal impact on
recreational fishing. We are generally supportive of efforts to establish
guidelines that clarify a natural resource protection strategy, but if this
bill comes before us for a vote we will keep your comments in mind as we
review the legislation and make our final decision.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. Please
feel free to contact us in the future with your questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

KEN JACOBSEN PHYLLIS GUTIERREZ KENNEY JIM McINTIRE
State Senator State Representative
State Representative