Well it is official, the C&R fisheries will not take place for a second straight year on the Snohomish and the Stilliguamish systems.

On the bright side(eventhough it is a measure being taken due to low returns), all wild steelhead must be released begining Dec 1 on the Skagit, Stilliguamish and Snohomish Rivers.

http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/do/newreal/nov2801a.htm

Additional Info:


The Stilly

The Snohomish

The Skagit

Mother*&^%#@ again! Thanks for the heads up sparky! This sucks! At least they are finally putting native steelhead first. I'm just worried we will never get that season back again....it was my absolute favorite fishery. No sleds, and toatal C&R. Sometimes I really wonder how they get accurate numbers when counting or predicting escapement.

Look at the bright side.
A CnR season on nates beginning Dec. 1 is the best thing to happen in years. all one needs to do is look at some o the world class rivers in BC; how do they stay that way? CnR....

It is a bummer about the CnR March and April fishery on the Sky and Sno, but maybe the early CnR season will prompt more adoption of CnR regs throughout the state...we've (not me) killed those nates for so long on the Sky and Sno that they are decimated.

remember---this is sport fishing..

...and the nates are already being caught. A freind of mine brought a 42" by 19" sea-liced chrome hen to hand yesterday.

But the Native gillnets don't CNR,that sucks. Glad the meat fisherman will head south(Blue Creek) and more room for us to fish.

HEy bro, nothing wrong with meat fishermen, so watch it. As for closing the the C&R season.... I think its great! I mean, it sucks for all of you C&R freaks. But now if they can just get some more of the nets out, imagine the C&R fishery you guys will have in five to ten years! The native populations will rebound and you guys will finally have the fishing that you should've had all along. I must admit,even though I'm right in the thick of things down at Blue Creek and the Barrier dam, My favorite fishery of the year is on a little srteam that I fish in late Feb/early Mar. In twenty years of fishing this stream, I've probably caught 6 hatchery fish, all the rest are natives, and I derive a great sense of satisfaction from releasing them un harmed back into the wild. They're not big fish (especially for nates) around five to eight lbs. each, and I think I've only ever caught one fish offf of this particular stream that has broken the ten lb mark. But I love to catch them just the same. Maybe if you guys take it in the shorts right now, you will reap the benifits of your sacrifices later on down the line.

God ****ing damnit son of a mother****ing ***** ******* ass mother ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am all for putting native fish first, but I also like the selective fishery C&R in March and April.



[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: Kid Sauk ]

I would be willing to pay a $50-$100 "enhancement fee" if that money was used for that. The "tag" would have to be exposed when fishing and if you dont have on you get a ticket. To have the opprotunity to fish and release during these months on these systems. Its a time and breed I live for.

Alright!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now if we can just get a ban on CnR on wild/native fish for the rest of the state we will start to rebulid the wild fish in a meaningful way instead this half-assed crap that is and has been going on. Hooooooooorrrrrrraaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!!!

Fellow Anglers,

I’m not sure where to begin, but it disturbs me to see how easily many of you revive worn and ineffective rhetoric. Those of you who think that WDFW is finally “getting a clue” and is making precedent setting regulatory changes that will lead to increased overall protection of native steelhead on these rivers or statewide are not paying attention.

WDFW is doing nothing more nor less than implementing the rule developed last year that was taken in part from its Wild Salmonid Policy. WDFW will not permit targeted fishing on runs that are less than 80% of the escapement goal. They will permit non-targeted fishing (for another species or stock in the same area at the same time) and incidental mortality of the weak stock. The essence of this policy is that WDFW is concerned about a weak native stock, but they are more concerned about harvesting any co-mingled fish population, whether it be hatchery steelhead, coho, chum, or whatever. Specifically, incidental mortality of weak stocks is OK as long as it occurs at a fairly low level (incidental) while fishing for a more abundant stock. The over-riding intent is to prevent “waste” from failure to harvest other fish.

What is missing is a critical analysis of how WDFW and the Wild Salmonid Policy does not value non-consumptive (CNR) fishing. WDFW and tribal co-managers have adopted a salmon and steelhead management policy of Maximum Sustained Harvest. Having implemented that policy on the most productive native steelhead runs, along with a series of adverse environmental conditions since 1990, has resulted in depressed runs to the Skagit, Stilly, and Snohomish. The continued use of this management model will continue to result in native runs that are much closer to the escapement goal (if not lower) than in runs that include a significant harvest component. (Refer to the many discourses on why MSY or MSH invariably results in depressed fish populations.) Furthermore, the bulk of any such harvests will come from the early segment of these wild runs. They are harvested during the main part of the treaty Indian fishery and the recreational fishery targeting hatchery winter run steelhead.

I believe it is an unintended design, but none the less, since there is no particular advocacy of catch and release seasons on late-timed native steelhead runs among the fishery managers (WDFW and tribes), the trend will be toward an - - Oops! Golly gee, the native steelhead return is again near or less than the escapement goal, and it will be necessary to close the March and April CNR seasons to protect the depressed native run. Now, protecting weak runs is a very good policy. It’s just that the burden of providing that protection is going to fall to the fishery that is last in line and has no management policy advocacy.

So if you think this scenario sucks now and for the foreseeable future and you want to do something about it other than whining here on the BB every year when your favorite fishery closes, I think you’re interests are best served by supporting the Wild Steelhead Coalition and FFF Steelhead Committee in attempting to modify WDFW’s fishery management policy, at least for steelhead. Until the WDFW Commission acknowledges that CNR fishing and that recreation, not harvest, equals or exceeds the value of traditional consumptive harvest fisheries, I believe we can expect to see systematic mediocre or poorer returns of native steelhead, particularly in Puget Sound rivers.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Nice comments, Salmo. As usual, we agree pretty much down the line.

Rather than repeat what you said or what I've said in the past, for those who missed it, I'll just post a link to a LONG debate on this topic that took place on a different bulliten board. I think that both sides to most issues were at least presented there.

C&R Debate

Be sure to read all three pages.

Fish on...

Todd.

Good analysis and thanks for the plug Salmo, When the WSC was formed there was quite a few big talkers who were going to support the WSC and never came through. In less than a year some very talented, proactive people have taken an idea and developed a successful organization that is creating change. If you don't enjoy these unrepresented management policies Salmo is talking about you have two choices: keep whining or put your money where your mouth is and take some action.

PS: Kid, We're still waiting for your application.

[ 11-30-2001: Message edited by: Double Haul ]