Yes we agree, what we got now does not work!!!

Yes the drainages are different, all are different.

It has been said by nearly everyone that supports WSR that it is not the fix all. It is not going to change things by itself, runs will continue to decline due to massive tribal harvest and other factors. But we will have far less impact then we do now. Hopefully WSR will give the wild steelhead some time and alow the runs to hang on for that much longer so management can be changed.

If we continue things the way they are eventually the runs on the OP will be in the same boat as the puget sound and we will have no fishing for wild fish at all.

I am looking towards the future and although I am selfish and want some type of opportunity I am willing to give up harvest to to keep the runs healthy a little longer in hopes other factors can be fixed or curtailed.

Sport harvest is the one factor we can control as anglers and as an angler who wants to continue to enjoy the recource I want to do what I can to continue to enjoy wild steelhead.


Yes we could stop fishing all together and where warranted it should be done. But if we are not fishing at all what voice will we have for the resource, how many would lose interest in the conservation of wild steelhead. What more would the resource be then a subsistance source for the tribes when there is no one out there to enjoy wild steelhead.

Back room???? What a crock of **** WSR has had a ton of opportunity to be heard in public. at least twice during schedualed comission rule proposal meetings Saying the public had no time to make their voices heard is absoluty false. You anti WSR guys are just whining because one decision didn't go your way. If you oppose WSR regs they you shouldn't be allowed to fish..

Next time around i am proposing a new reg. Wild steelhead release state wide without exception forever!


When WRS is on the table the ends justifies the means... Wild steelhead are more important than your piddly little egos..

"Next time around i am proposing a new reg. Wild steelhead release state wide without exception forever!" "When WRS is on the table the ends justifies the means..."

That sounds like something my son the tree hugger would say. Of course, you know he's a member of PETA. The other one is cool, he's what I'd call a thinkin man. Then again he's a Dr. (almost ) of (in) marine Biology. You wanna here some healthy debates ya outa be around when the two of them is together.

Robert,

When the stuff hits the fan remember you said "Back Room" not me. I think my words was "when no body was lookin"

To all my fellow supporters of the Moratorium:

Today was nothing more then yet another minor road block in the path to what we think is best for the fish. Two and a half years ago we came out in force and showed the Commission it was what we wanted.

We can do that again this summer/fall as we will we have to as those who are opposed to statewide wild steelhead release will be louder then ever as they now see that WSR is a possibility.

Do not give up. Do not get discouraged. And keep up the good fight!

Be carefull what you wish for is right. To those anti-wild releasers

>>Provided fishing opportunity for a few that feels C&R mortality is ok where there should be no sport fisherman mortality or threat of mortality in a river with threatened wild stocks. (close the rivers for feb, march, april, may.>>

Let's close any and all rivers with any ESA species listed, right now. Obviously the fact that C&R mortality is 10% tops, and kill is 100%, we should make no distinction. Kill or closed, no middle ground for sport. ESA Bull Trout are present in all OP streams, we catch them "accindentaly" so following the anti-C&R logic, all rivers on the OP should be totally closed, right now. Be carefull is right. Let's close them all. If any species is present that must be released, close the river. Close em all down forever. Why not?

I'm not as patient as a lot of my fellow WRS guys here. I frankly am sick of people who are so engrained with catch and kill that i don't care what regulations limiting harvest come along. People who kill wild stelhead intentionally flat out don't deserve to be on the river. Such disregard for the welfare of our fishing future just bugs me. Finny thing is these are the same people who complain any time you wanna change anything in a hatchery operation to help wild fish.

I've had enough these people are worthless to converse will. All they seem to care about is their ability to kill whatever thwy want. The idea that they oppose the moratorium because of some bad procedure of the commission if just flat out bogus. its pure retaliation out of malice for the concept of WRS nothing more nothing less. They just want to be able to kill and don't care about the consequences.. Thats what their actions tell me.

FishNphysician, that was said nicely,and i agree. The one thing that i do not agree with is that the sportsman should not shoulder all of the burden. If these systems are to be listed, close them for ALL fishing. No netting, no C-R, Nothing.
Everyone else, I guess that I am the onely one that gets PO'd when I see "Wild" fish advertised for sale! Knowing that I cannot go and catch one, but some one with a net can......Fishy

"If you oppose WSR regs they you shouldn't be allowed to fish.."

Rob..If you don't vote for George Bush you should be deported....


Anyway, please understand that some of us oppose the way the commission makes blanket decisions and sets them in stone for long periods of time. So many times in the past they have done so in direct conflict with public sentiment and their own scientist's recommendations. The process is important and not just when it rules in your favor or against you.

Amen Grandpa... let's deport Rob. I think he was a Dean fan.

Rich you made a good point about escapement not being met on the Hoh.

I'm courious how many members here fished the HOH this spring?

If you did, then I don't think you care about the fish as much as you do about your own opportunity. I know lots of Nate for the plate bonkin types did I read the stats in the paper and thats tragic. The river should be closed to all if the escapement isn't going to be met period.I also know of some members here that did fish the Hoh, but I'll let you speak up.

Grandpa I do not believe you. I think you just wanna be able to kill whatever whenever. If you did care about wild fish you'd never harvest them, be for changing hatchery practices and eliminating many of them.
as it stands i think you just wanna be able to kill them.

FishN-doc. What you say is very true somethin has gotta be done but it brings to the fact the if you don’t put the tourniquet on the right way you might save the Patient but you’ll lose the limb. And a tourniquet is only a temporary fix.
Which brings to mind when I was a young man I fixed flat tires at gas station. These were the days of inner tubes. There was this one ol’ boy that was in at least onced a month getting his tires patched up. It got to the point where the tubes looked like a checker board. For $12 he coulda bought a new tube that was safe. But not this Ol’ Boy. Just do a patch on it that’s only $2.50. There had to be maybe 50 bucks worth of patches on any given tube. But, they still held air.

The point—It’s time for a total revision not just a temp. patch. And to tie that in with what Somethingsmellsfishy said.--- I won’t do any good to get a new tube if there is no valve in the stem.

Robert my man,

You're gonna pop a blood vessel. You should chill dude.


Just cause folks aren't in agreement with you don't mean, they is wippen out all the worlds fishes.

You and I would get along great-- but we'd have to get in the way back machine and go to Chicago year 1968

I did.

Why can't I care for the fish yet value the opportunity to fish, at the same time?

I don't bonk natives. However, I do fish on the Hoh. I carefully release all the steelhead I catch on the Hoh (unless it's a hatchery fish, or salmon). I'm willing to accept the 2-3% mortality rate. I personally don't buy that statistic, but I'm willing to live with it.

I'm also able to sleep at night knowing that I "harmed" some fish, buy putting a hook in it's face. Call me a fisherman, I guess. That's what we do.

What good does closing a river do, if the problem just isn't harvesting? You seem to be forgetting the rest of the fishes lifecycle. What happens on land, in the rivers, and out in the oceans are just as much of factors as the harvesting part is.

Take the Skykomish, for example. The spring native run has been in decline (not making escapement goals), so the state shutdown down that fishery. The fish are still declining, yet no one is fishing for them in the rivers. Sadly, this is happening on many of our Washington rivers.

Why is that?

I'm speaking.

Unfortunately, saving our wild fish just isn't as easy as imposing a 2 year WSR moritorium. But, it's a start.

There are a lot of interesting views out there to the question of "Why do you fish?"

Some on this board fish for food, some fish for sport, some fish for entertainment at the fishes expense, and some probably don't fish at all.

In all honesty, I do all of the above. I will bonk fish when appropriate, I fish because I enjoy the sport, I C&R fish, knowing that 2-3% will die, and I have stopped fishing some rivers because I know that they should not be supporting an existing fishery.

I care for the fish, yet I care for my fishing opportunity, as well. I will fight for both.

Parker,

I like your sentiment.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

And whos ego is being stroked when wsr is instituted on five rivers that are scientifically determed to have sufficient numbers for harvest?

I may have an ego but at least its just a piddly one!

Dont bother threatning me with a permanent moratorium. I figure you aimed for that anyways.

Thanks for speaking up Parker

here's my feeling on your responses to my questions this is just my take on things so no hanging parties please.

Quote from parker
"Why can't I care for the fish yet value the opportunity to fish, at the same time?"

There are other opportunities out there parker in fact there are other rivers near there that are going to reach escapement.

Quote from parker

"I don't bonk natives. However, I do fish on the Hoh. I carefully release all the steelhead I catch on the Hoh (unless it's a hatchery fish, or salmon). I'm willing to accept the 2-3% mortality rate. I personally don't buy that statistic, but I'm willing to live with it."

I'm happy you release all wild steelhead everyone should. as for accepting the 2-3%(I don't buy it either it's more like 5% when you take in account for the different skill levels and fish handling ability. The fact you take care when handling is great but will the next person do so well?. If A river is in trouble don't fish it let's save every fish we can.

Quote from Parker
I'm also able to sleep at night knowing that I "harmed" some fish, buy putting a hook in it's face. Call me a fisherman, I guess. That's what we do." now that's funny

Quote from Parker
"What good does closing a river do, if the problem just isn't harvesting? You seem to be forgetting the rest of the fish's lifecycle. What happens on land, in the rivers, and out in the oceans are just as much of factors as the harvesting part is."

Your right Parker, but we can make an impact right now by closing them down stop fishermen's impact. The ocean conditions and river conditions will take more doing and time.

Also With a river that is closed you can bet that the wardens will be more effective at enforcing laws and catching poachers. I'm all for that.


Quote by parker
"Take the Skykomish, for example. The spring native run has been in decline (not making escapement goals), so the state shutdown down that fishery. The fish are still declining, yet no one is fishing for them in the rivers. Sadly, this is happening on many of our Washington rivers.

Why is that? "

There are going to be examples for all arguments if you look hard enough like how about the Wenatchee which has been closed and now is getting increased numbers of wild fish return

as for fighting for fishing opportunity I'm with ya bud but I'm looking more at future fishing opportunity. Thanks again for responding Parker.

based on what i have seen out on the river. if we go with 5% then careing anglers represent about .01% of that. 4% are people who are simply pissed that they have to release wild fish and end up throwing ot kicking them back to the river. and the remainder people who are just ignorant of how to handle fish.

"Grandpa I do not believe you. I think you just wanna be able to kill whatever whenever. "

Rob I try to be civil but you just keep coming up with more and more ridiculous comments. I don't ever have to answer to you for what I do or don't do but you are so far off the mark as to be just plain dumb.