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#979885 - 09/19/17 07:10 PM WDFW working on new freshwater regs
bushbear Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 08/26/02
Posts: 4709
Loc: Sequim
WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

September 19, 2017

Contact: Craig Burley, 360-902-2784
Steve Thiesfeld, 360-902-2662

WDFW proposes simplified freshwater fishing
regulations, seeks public comment

OLYMPIA – State fishery managers are seeking public comment on a proposed package of simplified recreational fishing regulations for freshwater species, such as steelhead, trout and warmwater fish.

As part of that effort, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has scheduled six workshops to discuss the proposed changes with the public.

To review and comment on the proposed rules, visit WDFW's webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/rule_proposals/. Comments will be accepted through Nov. 30. For a hard copy of the proposed rules, please call 360-902-2700.

Since last summer, state fishery managers have been working to simplify Washington's fishing regulations for freshwater species, including steelhead, trout, warmwater fish, sturgeon, shad and carp, said WDFW Director Jim Unsworth.

"For years, we've heard from people about how our regulations are complex – even for some of the most seasoned anglers – and act as a barrier to people trying to take up the sport," Unsworth said. "So we've been developing a set of regulations that will be easier for all anglers to understand."

This is the first year of a three-year effort to simplify sportfishing regulations throughout the state. Next year, fishery managers are scheduled to work on salmon fisheries in marine and freshwater, while fisheries for shellfish and other marine fish will be addressed in 2019.

"We're excited about this effort and look forward to discussing our first year of proposals at upcoming meetings with the public," Burley said. "This is a great opportunity for anglers and others to help us make our recreational fishing regulations more user-friendly."

The public workshops are scheduled for:

Spokane: 6 to 8 p.m., Sept. 26, Center Place, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley.
Ephrata: 6 to 8 p.m., Sept. 27, Grant County Public Works, 124 Enterprise St. SE, Ephrata.
Selah: 6 to 8 p.m., Sept. 28, Selah Civic Center, 216 S. First St. Selah.
Mill Creek: 6 to 8 p.m., Oct. 3, WDFW Region 4 headquarters, 16018 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek.
Ridgefield: 6 to 8 p.m., Oct. 4, WDFW Region 5 headquarters, 5525 S. 11th St., Ridgefield.
Montesano: 6 to 8 p.m., Oct. 5, Montesano City Hall, 112 N. Main St., Montesano.

Changes proposed this year would apply to freshwater throughout the state, with some exceptions. Some of the changes include:

Standardizing the statewide season for rivers, streams and beaver ponds to the Saturday before Memorial Day through Oct. 31.
Eliminating mandatory steelhead retention in most waters.
Reducing the complexity of regulations – such as daily limits, size limits and seasons – in lakes and ponds.
Standardizing regulations in rivers and streams for bass, channel catfish, and walleye. Under the proposal there would be no daily limit or minimum size for those fish.

The public will also have the opportunity to provide testimony on the proposals during the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission's meeting Dec. 8 and 9 in Olympia. Check the commission's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings.html for details on the meeting.The commission, which sets policy for WDFW, is scheduled to vote on the proposals during a meeting in January.

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#979895 - 09/20/17 07:14 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
It will be interesting to see how they pull this off. The genesis of complexity was to provide maximum "opportunity". Will simplicity bring us less opportunity but more consistency and ease of understanding? Or, will some levels of conservation be abandoned to make it simpler?

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#979900 - 09/20/17 09:21 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Jason Beezuz Offline
My Waders are Moist

Registered: 11/20/08
Posts: 3440
Loc: PNW
So this just means everything is gonna close October 31.

Im so sick of this. Oct-Spring is the fishing I enjoy most.
_________________________
Maybe he's born with it.

Maybe it's amphetamines.

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#979903 - 09/20/17 11:23 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
Make it really simple. Statewide, year-around, single barbless hooks, artificial lures, Catch and release.

Then, open kill seasons when and as appropriate.

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#979904 - 09/20/17 11:28 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
One of the problems with trying to offer full opportunity is that anglers have to know what it is they are catching.

This season, based on conversations with some samplers, we had Chinook identified as either coho or pink in order to retain them when Chinook was closed.

I find it at least a bit curious that a hunter has to be able to identify species, sex, or count antler points before shooting. An angler, with the fish in hand, is unable to ID it. Now, I know that some individual fish are hard to ID, having made a few "interesting" IDs in the past, but we seem to hold anglers to a very low bar.

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#979907 - 09/20/17 01:18 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: Jason Beezuz]
FleaFlickr02 Online   content
River Nutrients

Registered: 10/28/09
Posts: 3314
Originally Posted By: Jason Beezuz
So this just means everything is gonna close October 31.

Im so sick of this. Oct-Spring is the fishing I enjoy most.


Don't think that's exactly what this means, but it's a question someone needs to ask. My guess is that they plan to keep the same regulation paradigm for freshwater salmon and winter steelhead, which is to say this move will do nothing to solve the issues with complexities anglers have complained about for years. It may establish some simple, general rules for waters that don't have special regulations....

Hint for WDFW: Yes, there are reasons why there are fewer people getting into freshwater angling, but confusing regulations sit far below quality of opportunity relative to economic contribution on that list. Want more anglers? Give us more of the fish some of us actually moved here to fish for; not spiny rays and planter trout.

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#979908 - 09/20/17 01:24 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
GodLovesUgly Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 04/20/09
Posts: 1269
Loc: WaRshington
Let's simplify our regulations.....


......by changing all of the regulations.



Yep. That sounds like the DFW we all know and love!
_________________________
When I grow up I want to be,
One of the harvesters of the sea.
I think before my days are done,
I want to be a fisherman.

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#979911 - 09/20/17 02:37 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Piper
Unregistered


WDFW could take a page from Michigan... or we could just have more public meetings that fewer and fewer people attend...

michigan plant 25 million fish so far this year


Quote:
Fish stocking is a critical activity of the DNR. These efforts help pump between $2.4 billion and $4.2 billion into the state's economy through the sportfishing industry and associated businesses. As a frame of reference, 2016 stocking efforts totaled more than 33 million fish.

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#979913 - 09/20/17 04:01 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
And Michigan, even if Michigan puts those into the Great Lakes I doubt that they are supporting "others" like AK, BC, and the Treaty Tribes. Economically, WDFW is in a bind. To plant more fish they need more money. More money means higher license fees. When your license buyers get (maybe) 1/4 of the harvest, or less, you have plant a whole lot of fish to overcome that. Add in the very poor ocean conditions and it is probably not cost effective.

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#979914 - 09/20/17 04:03 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Smalma Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/25/01
Posts: 2844
Loc: Marysville
Piper -

Are you suggesting that WDFW slash its hatchery production?

Believe in recent years they have released something like more than 70 million steelhead/salmon (coho and Chinook) and 12 million trout.

Threads like this do illustrate how far WDFW's creditability has fallen and how much work they need to begin to recapture support from its major users, the State's fishers. This simplification of the pamphlet might represent a baby step forward but that remains to be seen.

Curt

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#979916 - 09/20/17 04:36 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
I believe that it was over 100,000,000 in chum alone some years and the Lake WA sockeye hatchery itself was built for 35,000,000.

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#979921 - 09/20/17 07:17 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
bushbear Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 08/26/02
Posts: 4709
Loc: Sequim
Between 1952 and 1987 the WDF released over 4 billion fry, fingerlings, and smolts.....no idea how many game fish were released by the WDG

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#979923 - 09/20/17 07:57 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
WDF was either the first or second largest hatchery system in the world. WDG would have added quite a bit to that.

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#979927 - 09/20/17 09:34 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: Smalma]
Piper
Unregistered


Originally Posted By: Smalma
Piper -

Are you suggesting that WDFW slash its hatchery production?

Believe in recent years they have released something like more than 70 million steelhead/salmon (coho and Chinook) and 12 million trout.

Threads like this do illustrate how far WDFW's creditability has fallen and how much work they need to begin to recapture support from its major users, the State's fishers. This simplification of the pamphlet might represent a baby step forward but that remains to be seen.

Curt


that is exactly what I'm saying, if they really want to increase the numbers of fisherman...

50% of 50% of the 70 million salmon/steelhead in which only .5% return and you have to fish them the on the dozen days its open or when they are actually there and a river is fish-able...

fvck yes, I'd rather have a world class bass and walleye fishery in half the lakes in Washington even if they are only open 6 months a year... i've spent more money in Idaho fishing this year, than the 2 weeks of salmon fishing that we were so gracious to receive from the FWDFW...

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#979930 - 09/20/17 09:45 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: Carcassman]
Piper
Unregistered


Originally Posted By: Carcassman
I believe that it was over 100,000,000 in chum alone some years and the Lake WA sockeye hatchery itself was built for 35,000,000.


who gives a fvck about trash fish or fish that you cant even fish for...




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#979931 - 09/20/17 09:47 PM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Piper
Unregistered


Originally Posted By: bushbear
Between 1952 and 1987 the WDF released over 4 billion fry, fingerlings, and smolts.....


those were the glory years of fishing salmon and steelhead in the northwest... I wonder why?

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#979933 - 09/21/17 06:15 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
NickD90 Offline
Shooting Instructor for hire

Registered: 10/26/10
Posts: 7260
Loc: Snohomish, WA
Why even close freshwater seasons for bass, walleyes and stocker trout? Having a "trout opener" is beyond stupid. Makes ZERO sense. It should be open year round, like most states. The two rod stamp is also just incredibly dumb and nothing more than a blatant money grab. Git' yer chit together WDFW.
_________________________
“If the military were fighting for our freedom, they would be storming Capitol Hill”. – FleaFlickr02

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#979934 - 09/21/17 06:17 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: Carcassman]
_WW_ Offline
Juvenile at Sea

Registered: 01/30/13
Posts: 233
Loc: Skagit
Originally Posted By: Carcassman
One of the problems with trying to offer full opportunity is that anglers have to know what it is they are catching.


If you are a kid in Skagit County and just now getting your drivers license, it is almost a given that you have never seen a wild steelhead from the river that shares it's name with the county.
_________________________
Catch & Release Is Not A Crime

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#979938 - 09/21/17 07:22 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: NickD90]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
Opening Day is, simply, created to sell licenses. Those here who are chronologically gifted, even more than me, remember when OD was a Big Thing. The papers (remember those?) covered it with stories leading up to it, pictures from the day, and reports from all the lakes as WDG did creel checks on most all lakes and reported it the papers the same night. There were Fishermen's Breakfasts that were fundraisers for local charities. It was about selling licenses, which is what supported the agency.

Back in my youth, and still today, there is more to fishing and hunting than the simple act of catching. OD is a social event. I think WDFW has lost sight of the fact that there is much more to resource catch/release/harvest than just the simple encounter.

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#979939 - 09/21/17 07:24 AM Re: WDFW working on new freshwater regs [Re: bushbear]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7410
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
I can understand that a youngster from Skagit has not killed a wild steelhead but if they haven't seen one, they haven't been looking.

Walk some streams in March/April/May.

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