Originally Posted By: cncfish
so reading between the lines I see a group working with NOAA in hood canal. trying something to save steelhead there. I was told the fishing was great in all those rivers when I was a kid, by the time I ever fished them it stunk. now they don't plant anything there, and its illegal to fish for them there.

I see this other group that wants to do basically the same thing to Puget Sound

in the group that is working on hood canal, I see one name that I recognize from all the fishing articles I have read in my lifetime. he was a congressman.

the Puget Sound group seems to be made up of some high profile names in fishery education, and some names I have heard that do research...

I am not sure I like either direction. that being said, something needs to get fixed. because the Puget Sound runs are maybe slightly better off than the hood canal runs, except the Puget Sound runs have worse freshwater habitat, for the most part.

Maybe its time to just stop, and see if we can turn this thing around. what we are doing is not working.


The "Hood Canal group", Long Live the Kings (LLTK) is working with, being paid, by NOAA-F on Hood Canal steelhead research projects. The NOAA-F scientist directing it all is their top steelhead scientist and there are several other scientists and graduate students involved in the projects. LLTK is a northwest organization that works with various agencies and the Canadian Pacific Salmon Foundation with a focus on hatchery practices that will generate fish populations that can be harvested without great harm to the wild populations. They are a 501 c 3 organization.

The "Puget Sound group", the Wild Fish Conservancy is an organization that is also based in the Northwest but with a somewhat different focus than LLTK. They do more work in the freshwater, are not just salmon focused, and look more at the entire ecosystem. As their name states they are working to protect wild fish. They have scientists on their staff and several nationally recognized scientists on their board of directors. Like LLTK they do contract work, habitat restoration, fish population studies, and similar work.

Both groups are 501 c 3 organizations and I suspect that a review of their financial statements would show very similar spending, salaries and expenses, and income sources. What they do is valuable to the resource. Steelhead as a resource, something to be used, is not in good shape and I suspect that neither group can change that. I am not a pessimistic as FishPrince though. I don't think wild steelhead are done in Puget Sound, the idea that they are a resource, something to be harvested , is probably done for the reasons he stated. Hatchery steelhead will provide for limited harvest but the many problems they present have to be addressed.