FYI

Wild Steelhead Coalition Meeting
Wednesday, November 6, 2002 7:00 PM (6:30 Social)
Bothell American Legion Post
19213 Bothell Way NE, Bothell, WA

You are invited to attend the Wild Steelhead Coalition's November meeting. Be sure to join us for a great evening full of important information/discussion regarding wild steelhead, news about the WSC and raffle of some fine items.

November Program/Guest Speaker:

Bill McMillan

Presentation Title:

How Hatcheries Impact Wild Steelhead Populations

Description of the Program:

Fisheries mangers have tried to use timing to prevent wild fish populations and hatchery populations from spawning together and/or using wild fish as brood stock to maintain wild genes. According to our speaker, both approaches have negative impact on wild fish populations. Bill emphasizes wild steelhead restoration by eliminating hatchery relases.

Bill started fishing at age 12, and after some fisheries studies at UW, he decided that he could be more effective with his activism from outside the system. Fish became a primary means for data collection. In 1983 he initiated the first snorkel surveys to document declining wild fish numbers. He managed a research camp on the Kamchatka Peninsula during joint Russian/American research expeditions. Bill is currently very active in many Washington conservation activities. There will be a question and answer period will follow has well as general business of the WSC and a raffle for some fine items.

Feel free to show up at 6:30 PM to meet some of the WSC Members and hear about how the WSC is working to preserve the legacy of wild steelhead!

For more information contact www.wscmembership@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.wildsteelheadcoalition.com for information regarding the WSC.

There will be a raffle with some very nice items from 3 Rivers Marine & Tackle [Thanks Kent]and Ted's Sport Center [Thanks Mike]. I will post some of the items donated in a day or two, just to keep the suspence up[can you feel it?]. The number of items available will depend on the number of people at the meeting. Our meetings are open to everyone and are very educational[not hero shots of fish]. We try to bring in speakers to cover both sides of issues.

I will be there

Todd, meet me at the "watering hole" before the meeting Sparkey, that goes for you too since you are of legal drinking age now Even though you still look 16

See ya there!

Kid, Bring your membership application

which hole is that? I may swing by too...

Hey Justin, Would you happen to know somebody in the tackle business that could donate some hooks or maybe a rod for one of our raffles?

See you all there!

Justin, don't forget to do us all up with some Vision samples!! I'm usually there half an hour, maybe 45 minutes, before the meeting starts to avoid traffic.

Fish on...

Todd.

What I've have so far: From Reiterrat[Kent] at Three Rivers Marine and Tackle----A Gloomis GL2 STR 1025C!!!, A 2003 GLoomis Backpack, and a Lamson Litespeed 3.5. I'm stopping by Avid Angler on the way home tonight and will pick something up from Ted's this weekend, and may have a couple of books donated by Frank Amato [one of our trustees] of STS fame. The number of items put out will depend on the number of tickets bought. More items to be posted later as they are recieved.

Delay, delay, delay!!

Wont arrive till 8:00 or so, so like I said, please delay, delay, DELAY!!!

Picked up Avid Angler's raffle item yesterday- A Morell Big Game Foam Box[red] with an exceptionally nice assortment of steelhead flies. Did I say 42 flies!!! Very nice!! Sparkey, we're not going to wait. What are the chances your employer will donate an item?

We also have a wild steelhead print from the North Umpqua Foundation to raffle with photographers signiture.

I never knew about the raffle as no one contacted myself or my employer....can not donate when you do not know that a group is accepting donations.

I'm sure your employer would be glad to donate rods/reels and other misc items, since he is a member and supporter of the WSC, right Sparkey? He/Cough-men's are members, right?

I don't mean to get off on a bad start on this forum, but i can tell that none of you have worked in a hatchery or have done any work actually spawning fish. Where exactly do you think hatchery fish are coming from?!?! It seems you guys think hatchery steelhead or some disgusting mutation of a fish. The truth is that hatchery steelhead come from wild steelhead. There is absolutely NO difference between a wild fish and a hatchery-raised fish! Artificially spawned fish are the offspring of both wild and hatchery-raised fish. And say you did get your way and hatcherys stopped spawning steelhead, how do you possibly think that wild fish could replace hatchery fish. over 25,000 steelhead were taken from the Hoh river in 1998, and more than half of those were hatchery fish. The point of hatchery fish are to cope with growing numbers of fishermen. With MORE people fishing, MORE fish are needed, and wild stocks could not deal with more people fishing. They would die out in a few years.

Just stating my opinion. I have experience with this stuff.

Tom

Tom ... A friendy coax from me to perhaps re-think your post. Many of us have spawned fish and worked around a hatchery. Many of the folks involved in the WSC have extensive backgrounds in fisheries ...

There is lots of white paper out there to prove beyond a doubt that there are significant diffrences between hatchery fish and wild fish, especially in the case of Chambers Creek stock.

25,000 steelhead harvested in the Hoh??

I think the WSC might be happy to send along some research your way!

Tom, I emailed you a copy of the online version of the Wild Steelhead Coalition's newsletter "The Adipose"

In the newsletter you will find the first article titled "Why Wild Steelhead are Important" which appeared as a guest editorial in the recent issue of Salmon, Trout & Steelheader Magazine. I believe this article will answer some of your questions or provide some insight for you. Look forward to your comments after you have a chance to read it.

Picked up the last raffle item at Ted's [thanks Mike] last night.... A pair[?] of Action Optic polarized sun glasses.

Chambers Creek is one creek. If you actually had any knowledge of hatchery steelhead, you wouldn't be fighting to stop the production of hatchery fish. Except for the peninsula, wild steelhead could not possibly cope with the growing numbers of fishermen. I don't care what so-called "white papers" have to say. Paper doesn't prove much.

Tom

Tom, We are fighting to save Wild Steelhead, not fighting against hatchery fish. There will be some sort of hatchery reform. We just want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

When one does not wish to examine empirical
data and refuses to think with an open mind, one's voice is destined to fall short of it's desired credibility. It is never too late for one to learn.