I recently heard that the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will be voting on mandatory release of all wild steelhead in Washington. Does anyone have more information on this? Also, the commission does read every e-mail sent to them commission@dfw.wa.gov

As far as I know, right now it`s only on the Puyallup and the Carbon rivers where that is being proposed for 2001, but hey, if they do all the more power to them.

That would be great, if that happened.
Pink

Too bad the tribes are federal. This will mean more wild steelhead for them to sell as halibut bait, cat food etc. This will only work if it’s at a federal level.

The commisson will be taking public testimony at the December 8-9 meeting concerning sportfishing rules for 2001-2002, which will include statewide, year-round catch-and-release regulations for wild steelhead in all waters of the state. It certainly won't hurt to express your support via mail, phone or e-mail:

Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission
600 Capitol Way N.
Olympia, WA 98051-1091

360-902-2267

commission@dfw.wa.gov

Statewide wild steelhead release was a hot topic at the last regulations hearings, but there was heavy opposition from Bob Gibbons, WDF&W staffer in Olympia. He is pro wild steelhead kill on the Penninsula including small streams like Gibbons creek.I saw his briefing to the commission and it was pro increased take. If we keep at it maybe there will be change.
BTW, I wonder how many wild steelhead and silvers the nets got in the Columbia after being in the river most of the month...

Preston, Has the location of the testimony been announced yet?

Dec. 8 & 9 at the Best Western located in Southcenter.

Got to keep at these guys, just because they have been to college and have degree's, doesnt mean they have common sense. Read the report from the last meeting, and from my count it was heavily in favor of Wild Release. At least by the testimony of the public. Write them, call them, e-mail them and maybe this year they will listen. thanks .

Do you think we could take this the next logical and necessary step??

My opinion of course and lets build on this if you want.

Sportsfishers agree and disagree with wild release.

We agree: If alternative commercial harvest is used to ensure wild release at that harvest point also. We disagree if this is not done.

We agree: If any wild fish kept counts 9 times against the commercial catch number. This figure is taken from a 10% C&R mortality on fresh water fish with barbless hooks. We disagree if there is no attempt to monitor this.

We agree: If this ends the blatant prejudice against sportsfishers who help pay for WDFW wages and fund most of the hatcheries. We disagree with the proposal and have prepared a class action lawsuit naming the state and WDFW for extreme prejudicial management of one of the States most valuable resources.

What do you guys think...you all know I am not a lawyer and I obviously wrote this fairly early, but I think it has merit. I think if we all stood up together and said "Here are our demands" then they will have to listen and if they don't we tie the decision up in court...if we can't win the net issue at the ballot box, lets try another tactic.

Always havin fun!

Time to go put some fish in the boat!

Jim

While I understand the reasoning, I have to disagree with the methodology. The "We will stop killing Nates if they have to stop killing nates" is probably never going to be effective. If some individuals really care about ending the killing of native steelhead (I know not everyone shares this desire), then stop killing them and work on ending the sport fishing related killing.

Sportsmen have little or no political leverage in Washington, whatever seems to be popular with sprotsmen seems to get crushed at the ballot box. This "We will do it if they have to do it too" crap divided the vote about 696 and it lost. Sure it would have not effected the tribes, but it would have stopped a huge slaughter by non-tribal netters. End result? No change. Conditions can only be added to referendums, rule change requests and Bills if the group pushing them has clout. We do not have it. Hell most of us don't even vote (based on the % of people who vote as a whole). Our inaction allows them to ignore us.

WDFW will NEVER require Statewide Wild Steelhead Release (SWSR) for precisely the reasons that Jim Bain touched on. Since the tribes (soverign/federal) are outside of state juristiction, any attempt to ban wild steelhead harvest by non-indians would be headed for court the next business day and WDFW knows this only too well. I have spoken to two attorneys (who shall remain nameless) on two separate occasions that confirm this.
Realistically, given the current tribal net and sport C&R seasons, SWSR would have a limited effect anyway. As long as the tribes are netting wild steelhead the current harvest regime will continue...period. If you dont like this liberal fisheries management then VOTE! for John Carlson and Slade Gorton the tribe fighter, its the only way things will ever change.

I hope most of you realize that a regulation to ban retention of wild Steelhead is counterproductive to your goal. The wild Steelhead allocated to the anglers would then be realocated to the tribes so all you would achieve is less total fish in the river. You are much better off folowing your conscious and releasing wild Steelhead on your own.

Every year the state and the tribes determine how many wild fish are expected to return to their given river and how many can be caught. If somehow that number can be changed s a much higher number must be allowed to return to the spawning grounds (escapement), then something will have been accomplished. That number would not have to move much higher for no retention of wild Steelhead to be put in place.

Ok this sounds like a "There is nothing we can do" sort of thing. I hate to belive this and will not. In the mean time grass roots type of action works well and can sometimes grow in to bigger and better things. I will release all wild ones regardless of where caught and promote this. Every little bit helps.

I have watched much of the discussion taking place before the comission and between comission members. It seems that the comission is finially beginning to move in the right direction. They understand the problem about the tribes being able to take the "surplus" that the sport fishers do not. I believe they are doing everything they can to get that problem out of the way.
In my opinion noone should be harvesting any wild steelhead in the state! The natives will always be able to harvest these fish, there is nothing we will ever be able to do about that.
I still think the state should not allow the sport harvest of these fish. If you care about the resourse you wont be harvesting them anyway!

There will be nothing done until we as a group, sport fishers stand up and be heard.
Just think of about 10,000 or so sports fisherman with their truck and boats pluging up the streets around the capitol for hours being heard for some thing they beleive in.
Until this happens good luck. STRIKE ZONE

Got to keep at this, some people just need that 2x4 to the head enough times to get the message. I will not stop *****ing about this (sorry about the language) untill it is turned around. If sport fishers gave up the right to keep wild fish, then that might just shame the tribes into doing the same. Especialy if it was put on the evening news and in the big newspapers. Lets go for it, thanks.

Skyrise, I agree with you. Someone must take the first step in protecting Wild Steelhead, and you can be certain that step won't be taken by the tribes. It is up to the sportfisherman to set a precedent. Whining about the tribes will get us no where, it's time for the sportfishing community to show a willingness to protect the Wild Steelhead by taking the first step.

You're fooling yourselves if you think the tribes will ever stop netting wild steelhead while there are harvestable numbers available in their rivers. They sell it for practically nothing to make it into catfood. How must respect for the almighty steelhead does that display! We could offer the tribes more per lb. not to target wild fish and they still wouldn't stop net-raping the river(I wonder what their forefather's think?). It must be a manhood thing. I vote for taking our (sports) share of the harvest and releasing them back into the river in a display of our respect. Hopefully that's a personal decision that most steelheaders are willing to make. Don't change a thing until tribes agree to change their thinking about wild steelhead!

Hopefully this thread isn't fruitless, I knew that we would have this anti-tribes contingent. It will most likely always be that way, but hopefully many sportfisherman realize what can be accomplished.