Proposed Rule Changes from Wild Steelhead Coalition

[natetreat]

http://wildsteelheadcoalition.org/2012/ ... sals-wdfw/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I found this surfing around for steelhead and was kinda turned off by it. I want to protect the wild fish as much as the next guy, but these rules are on the extreme side. I know a lot of these rules have a slim chance of passing, but it's an interesting topic. I think it's illustrative of the clash between gear and fly anglers and to me it seems anti-angler to prohibit boat fishing on these primarily drift boat fished waters. It'd be good to note that these are the sort of changes that folks are trying to make.
What do you guys think?

From the Drake Magazine -
http://www.drakemag.com/index.php?optio ... &catid=137

WASHINGTON—The Wild Steelhead Coalition is asking you to take a minute to review the 2012 Rule Proposals developed by its Science and Policy Committee and submitted to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to help protect wild steelhead. Some highlights, that are sure to be controversial with the boat and bobber contingent, include NO fishing from a floating device on select rivers including the Sol Duc, Calawah, Hoh, Bogachiel, and Klickitat. The proposal also pushes for a statewide catch-and-release initiative for all wild steelhead.

The coalition says no wild steelhead should be retained at any time. No exceptions.

Why this change is needed: "Of the seven wild steelhead DSP’s in Washington, five are now ESA listed and the other two are in long term decline. In the 1950’s, 100 plus streams produced good harvests (WDG 1950’s), but today only 9 rivers make the WDFW modeled spawner escapements and can be open to limited harvest. The Wild Steelhead Coalition recommends the state manage in a more conservative manner to assure these few remaining populations are not depleted. CnR fishing is the rule in all rivers in British Columbia and it is well respected by the sport fishing community. This rule will prevent further erosion of Washington wild populations and help rebuild their runs to the higher abundances documented in recent history (McMillan 2006; Gayeski 2012). We need to recognize that the Olympic Peninsula Rivers are the only waters where wild steelhead fisheries can now occur; that steelhead are highly vulnerable to CnR impacts, and if these stocks become depleted, fishing will end for wild steelhead in Washington."

[Bodofish]

At this point I'll just say they are so wrong. I've been around long enough to have seen it go from no hatcheries to a bunch and back again. There are just too many people vying for the resource to think that Mother Nature can can do it on her own.

I will be composing my thoughts on this and I will be back.

[Bodofish]

Again I will say what they are proposing is a bad Idea on many levels. It will ruin what is left of WA States sport fisheries and the associated industries. Most of the Sport fishing industry is a cottage industry, the kind that support our economy at a grass roots level, unlike big corporations. For a look at what a proper hatchery program stocked with native broodstock will do for you please take a short gander at the thread below. Not only in BC but Idaho took runs that had returning fish counts under one hundred and look where they are now with world class fishing on the Snake and Clearwater for Stealhead and Kings, all done with native brood stock. The same thing is being done all over OR too, with great success. I'm not sure why the dunderheads running the WDFW have to try and figure out a different way when we have documented successes all around us. We don't need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to put some new air in the tires. The next step is to step up to the tribes and say no gill nets period from here till the end of time.

http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/vi ... 23#p162723

For Stealhead;
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/se ... rds=vedder

[Fishininja]

second on no tribal nets. raping the rivers for their "rights".

[RiverChromeGS]

dang theres a lot of my posts under that vedder search thing lol.

I agree with Bodo 100% on this also, its hard to understand why, after all the success in oregon broodstock programs and Canada doing the same, that right in the middle, washington cant get it right. If the bastards still feeling sorry for the tribes allowing them 50% of whatever run they feel like destroying finally stepped up and put an end to it, or at least regulated it in SOME WAY, the change we would see could be huge, then, start broodstock programs with the fish that start coming back as a result, and things would change really quick.

Personally, i dont think Washington will ever be able to put an end to the gill netting, bottom line they don't have the balls to say enough is enough...

[RiverChromeGS]

second on no tribal nets. raping the rivers for their "rights".

and they dont even eat fish, they sell the damn things, or waste them. Once driving back from fishing, i saw some natives dumping a bunch of fish in the bushes, and i stopped to look, and they had taken the eggs out of the hens and just dumped the bucks. THAT right there should be enough to call for a change, but no. They continue to do the same thing, sell the fish and go buy a hamburger and mcdonalds. I could see giving them the right to feed the tribes, but beyond that is BS

[OFFDAAHOOK]

second on no tribal nets. raping the rivers for their "rights".

and they dont even eat fish, they sell the damn things, or waste them. Once driving back from fishing, i saw some natives dumping a bunch of fish in the bushes, and i stopped to look, and they had taken the eggs out of the hens and just dumped the bucks. THAT right there should be enough to call for a change, but no. They continue to do the same thing, sell the fish and go buy a hamburger and mcdonalds. I could see giving them the right to feed the tribes, but beyond that is BS

FF dat is a norm .there used to be 3 boats at da puke gill netters .dat was 4 year ago ,now theirs 8 gillnetter 3 bins tured into 12 bins.actually they buy hamburgur from burgurking in puke cuz it just taste better im gonna invite you down someday youll pee your pants puke steelhats are history in 4 years i caught only 1native 8# released of coarse

[RiverChromeGS]

Don't even get me started on the tribes. What I've seen the puyallup tribe do under the bridge by Clark's creek is considered horror in my book.

Exactly, its not just one tribe or group doing it, its all of them, yet nothing ever changes, and i doubt it ever will... its sad really

[RiverChromeGS]

FF dat is a norm .there used to be 3 boats at da puke gill netters .dat was 4 year ago ,now theirs 8 gillnetter 3 bins tured into 12 bins.actually they buy hamburgur from burgurking in puke cuz it just taste better im gonna invite you down someday youll pee your pants puke steelhats are history in 4 years i caught only 1native 8# released of coarse

Yea i hear ya, its ridiculous, to imagine what we could have with after 10 years of no nets....

[natetreat]

Again I will say what they are proposing is a bad Idea on many levels. It will ruin what is left of WA States sport fisheries and the associated industries. Most of the Sport fishing industry is a cottage industry, the kind that support our economy at a grass roots level, unlike big corporations. For a look at what a proper hatchery program stocked with native broodstock will do for you please take a short gander at the thread below. Not only in BC but Idaho took runs that had returning fish counts under one hundred and look where they are now with world class fishing on the Snake and Clearwater for Stealhead and Kings, all done with native brood stock. The same thing is being done all over OR too, with great success. I'm not sure why the dunderheads running the WDFW have to try and figure out a different way when we have documented successes all around us. We don't need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to put some new air in the tires. The next step is to step up to the tribes and say no gill nets period from here till the end of time.

http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/vi ... 23#p162723

For Stealhead;
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/se ... rds=vedder

I agree 100%. I don't understand how the wild steelhead coalition thinks that eliminating sport fishing will make the runs better. Without drift boat fishing, the local guides would suffer. I've been reading about broodstock programs, and the runs of our area states, and I don't get it. Our state is anti-angler. These rules are even more anti-angler. And WDFW listens to them, which makes them a threat to those of us that make a living off of these fish. As far as the tribes, just look at the numbers of returning fish before the Boldt decision and after. The tribes need to fish with traps, not gill nets. I don't want to turn this into a discussion about bative rights, because there are the other rules that are starting to encroach on our fisheries, and WDFW will actually use these advisories when make our 2014 rules...