Over the past couple years, I have slowly but surely become much more moderate in my distrust and anger with the WDFW and I have been much more open about giving them credit when & where credit is due.

Anyways, a point was made to me by a WDFW recently that did make alot of sense. When I stopped and really thought about what was said, I came to the realization that many us are barking up the wrong tree.

We, for many years, have made the WDFW the scapegoat for many of hte problems facing our wild salmonids. I am not saying, that they have a perfect track record but if we turned around and lobbied and attacked etc. etc. etc. the proper agencies and the proper people, our fish would be in much better shape.

Hell, according to this gentlemen, various populations have experienced negative impacts because the WDFW has been made a scapegoat for os many years.

Sparkey as long as WDFW is opposed to wild steelhead release statewide without exception they ( at the olymipa level) are totally worthless in my opinion. I am sick of them not having the guts to stand up to opposition and do whats right..

Keeping wild steelhead anywhere in Washington is a stupid thing to do. They know it's stupid but because a very few people want to kill them the department won't do anything. They came up with the 1 a day 10 per year and called it a compromise but it is no compromise as thoes who actually catch and leep wild steelhead do so with guides!! Now if a guide could only have 10 fish a year killed in his boat now that would be something!!!

As it is now on the WSR issue WDFW is the enemy.

Quite frankly i don't know of anything that WDFW is doing right..

Dang Sparks - You must be getting old.

I never thought you would ever let reason cloud your emotionally driven misconceptions.

Don't listen to Rob though. He's over 30 so you can't trust him.

Timothy Leary made that clear way back in the 60's. He was the guy that invented space.

I always love your threads Sparkey, they make me think... Not often that happens in the head of a high schooler.

Curtis

As there are money intrests that have effected our wild fish have any been able to do so with out permits etc from the state?Wetlands were not destroyed,bad logging practices were not done,and ultimately the comercial fishermen did not over fish without the state telling them how to do it.

This is exactly why I want a job with the WDFW as a biologist. I might be able to change the minds of some of the non-fishing/blind staff in the WDFW.

no, no, no, fjy15 you're looking at this all wrong. What you should really be looking into is becoming a lawyer so you'll know all the loopholes and to know what agencies to sue for the Benjamins. If you become a biologist and work with the state, we'll all know how much money you make....

Robert

I think your right Sparky,

For instance, If the Boldt Decision never was or if it was interperated diferently I think you would see that WDFW would manage our rivers in a very different way.

The problem the tribes get what they get and there is nothing WDFW can do about it. WDFW tried after the decision and was shut down by the 9th district court. Reality is that they have to deal with the hand that has been delt and deal with the mistakes that have been made.

For the peninsula for instance things will not get better untill the netts are cut way back or stopped. CnR is a good step but the truth is comercial fishing in terminal areas has to be stopped before good will come.

When I became a biologist, it didn't take long for me to figure out that WDFW doesn't have as much control as most people (including me)think. Remember the 4 H's... Harvest, Hatcheries, Habitat and Hydro? Obviously WDFW has some control over all four but in habitat and hydro, it's pretty limited. Now when it comes to hatcheries and harvest it's a different matter. Lot's more control there, but still not ultimate control. Even with hatcheries and harvest, that control can easily be limited by special interest groups with a good attorney. Now throw in weather, changing ocean conditions, and the rest of mother nature and you get the picture. Given the variables and span of control, I wonder why so many people hold the biologists responsible for something they have so little control over. It looks like sparkey may be figuring some of this out

Seriously Rob Allen.

Wild steelhead release everywhere? What kind of criteria is that? Especially when wild steelhead will be killed in gillnets?

If the indians get to kill some wild steelhead, shouldn't the plunkers get their share?

Is there something sacred about wild steelhead that makes them better than wild chinook or other salmon?

Or are you against killing of all wild salmonids? (at least that would be a consistent position).

Just curious.

Geoduck

Well someone has to!

damn,
i had to, made me laugh
good 1 b.b.v.

WDFW is neither the source of all the fishery problems nor the source of all the fishery solutions. Everyone is a culpable party. Everyone could be part of a solution.

Ain't it a great world?

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

What is the reason for steelhead classified as a game fish and salmon a food fish? Was it just because at one time they were managed by the Department of Game and salmon were managed by the Department of Fisheries? I guess something else to ponder.