Feather ruffling topic; gotta respond.

I'm not interested in mounts and I catch enough brats to keep the BBQ running. A couple of pics for proof to my buddies is all I need. However, I don't think my personal preferences as holy and good and those who disagree, criminal.

I do not feel that the wild steelhead should be, or should be managed, as a "Pedestal Fish". This just assumes that the population would never be healthy enough to harvest. That we can never restore habitats to provide sufficient spawning grounds or estuarine nursery areas. Work needs to continue to restore all of the habitats necessary to ensure a sustainable population, not just existence. And a sustainable population should be harvested at a level that wouldn't impact that population.

God knows WDFW doesn't have the resources to forecast steelhead runs with a great deal of accuracy, so conservative harvest policies are necessary. But I feel that conservative harvest policies, based on the best available data, is better than "no harvest period", which is based on emotion and passion. Shut'em down, if necessary to rebuild the stocks, but don't keep them closed based on a tradition. If so, management agencies would be just as guilty as when they are politically influenced by commercials, and this would just give the commercials fuel for their arguements to harvest.

My bottom line: To keep or not to keep should be based on science and sound management strategies(including enforcement), not personal outrage.

Any temperatures rising...