Petition: Statewide Protection of Resident Forms of Wild Steelhead

[SeaRunner]

I don't know that I've seen this covered here. See: https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/f...s/petitions/petition-wild-steelhead-83123.pdf

If granted it seems to me this has the potential severely curtail fishing, particularly in the Puget Sound region. The petition will be addressed at the WDFW Commission meeting 10/27 and 10/28.

Beyond any fishing impacts, the petition raises a lot of questions in my mind as to how it interplays with prior decision making under ESA regarding steelhead and resident rainbow.

 

[charles sullivan]

I have read it several times and I do not exactly understand he scope of the proposed rule changes.

 

[Paige]

They definitely need to be protected but I definitely see more closures coming unfortunately.

 

[wmelton]

• Statewide year-round Catch-and-Release (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams for all watersheds withwild steelhead
• Statewide year-round Selective Gear Rules (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams in all watersheds withwild steelhead
• Closed Waters: Selected sections of rivers designated as Wild Steelhead Gene Banks
• Closed Waters: Watersheds with wild steelhead runs under escapement

Seems like a good idea to me

 

[Divad]

• Statewide year-round Catch-and-Release (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams for all watersheds withwild steelhead
• Statewide year-round Selective Gear Rules (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams in all watersheds withwild steelhead
• Closed Waters: Selected sections of rivers designated as Wild Steelhead Gene Banks
• Closed Waters: Watersheds with wild steelhead runs under escapement

Seems like a good idea to me

You had me until the last two. What are the gene bank sections? Would be my first question. And to address 4, does this close year-round any river on the spreadsheet with a wild run? Say Yakima, Sky, OP, Chehalis tribs etc.? Little nutty if so.

 

[charles sullivan]

The 3rd and 4th bullet points are unclear at best.

For both bullet points, are we talking about closures to all fishing or all trout fishing?

At the very least, I believe that it would end all fishing for searun cuts in nearly every river in the PS. Maybe you could fish the Skagit for searuns. How many years would a river need to be over escapement to allow fishing?

The bigger issue that I see is that once again a group takes action by proposing a change to the sportfishing rulebook. I honestly do not think that there is any change to the sportfishing rulebook that will have any effect on steelhead runs.

Steelhead have not declined in number due to the sportfishing rulebook.

If you want to do something go after the Army Corps of Engineers, DNR, the Dept. of Ecology etc. All that these sorts of pertitions do is perpetuate the thought that WDFW is the issue. I mean after all they permitted the levees, and shoreline development and forest practices and.........

 

[SeaRunner]

I have read it several times and I do not exactly understand he scope of the proposed rule changes.

Likewise. That said, what I understand WSC to be requesting is for WDFW to start rulemaking on one or more of the following proposals:

#1 Statewide year-round Catch-and-Release (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams for all watersheds with wild steelhead
#2 Statewide year-round Selective Gear Rules (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams in all watersheds with wild steelhead
#3 Closed Waters: Selected sections of rivers designated as Wild Steelhead Gene Banks
#4 Closed Waters: Watersheds with wild steelhead runs under escapement

With regards to the closed waters proposal the petition states, "only when monitoring can establish sufficient numbers of wild "trout" should the waters be open for any fishing."

I read this as #3/#4 calling for a total closure of all fishing for all species in rivers designated as Wild Steelhead gene banks and/or where wild steelhead runs are under escapement until: (1) monitoring occurs; and (2) that monitoring shows sufficient numbers of wild "trout". It is not clear to me what constitutes sufficient numbers of wild trout, or what happens if a rivers monitoring shows sufficient numbers of wild trout but its steelhead run is still under escapement. Closed? Not closed?

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks this seems like a make work program for WSC to get monitoring contracts. The only proposals above that seem to have any merit are #1 and #2, and even then they seem overbroad as proposed. Why is WSC nibbling at what is largely catch and release mortality and seeking to further limit recreational opportunity when NMFS has said, and far as I am aware, continues to say that current recreational harvest levels are not impeding recovery of wild steelhead?

 

[RCF]

The general summary does not have enough info on the real impacts. The devil is in the details. Also nothing addressing enforcement. I know ---> more details.

 

[Stonedfish]

When WDFW did the major change in the regs book maybe a dozen years ago and broke streams up by geographical areas we lost some pretty nice fishing.
I see this as more of the same.
Why not just have selective gear rules with catch and release rather than closing things being an option. If closing things brings back wild steelhead, why aren’t we fishing the Nisqually for them, which closed in 1993?
It’s super easy to close things. Getting them back open, not so much.
SF

 

[Peyton00]

I don't like any of it.

 

[Rob Allen]

• Statewide year-round Catch-and-Release (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams for all watersheds withwild steelhead
• Statewide year-round Selective Gear Rules (all size wild trout) in rivers and streams in all watersheds withwild steelhead
• Closed Waters: Selected sections of rivers designated as Wild Steelhead Gene Banks
• Closed Waters: Watersheds with wild steelhead runs under escapement

Seems like a good idea to me

Sounds like a statewide steelhead fishing closure to me..

I completely oppose the closures of any more fisheries under absolutely ANY circumstances.

Only one wild steelhead left the river remains open. Closures do absolutely nothing.

 

[Paige]

I am Suprised that the Wild Steelhead Coalition is doing this, strait from the play book of that dumb fucker from WFC

 

[JACKspASS]

Complete bullshit that won't change a thing. Like mentioned above, go after agencies and policies that affect development and forestry practices

 

[DerekWhipple]

Another "won't change much" vote. How much trout fishing is done on the wet side, really? We regard people who purposefully chase resident trout on the west side as kind of an oddity and something you're doing because you don't have time to fish the Yak/Deschutes. The worst you can get is some schmo dunking power bait in 6 inches of water next to his campsite. I'm skeptical how much angling mortality there really is in western WA or OR. The type of person who will bring home a stringer of wild smolts/residents is not the type of person who will look at the regulations much, if at all.

Sometimes it seems like the wild orgs are just trying to alienate other anglers and piss them off.

 

[Paige]

Another "won't change much" vote. How much trout fishing is done on the wet side, really? We regard people who purposefully chase resident trout on the west side as kind of an oddity and something you're doing because you don't have time to fish the Yak/Deschutes. The worst you can get is some schmo dunking power bait in 6 inches of water next to his campsite. I'm skeptical how much angling mortality there really is in western WA or OR. The type of person who will bring home a stringer of wild smolts/residents is not the type of person who will look at the regulations much, if at all.

Sometimes it seems like the wild orgs are just trying to alienate other anglers and piss them off.

This bruiser of a resident was killed the following June by a customer at the shop I worked at, very close to where my client caught this, or a similar sized fish.



I have caught dozens of 16"-18" resident rainbows on the Sky, I am sure there is a lot harvested, just like Cutthroat are harvested, even by fly anglers.

If harvest is allowed, harvest will happen!

 

[speedbird]

Wholly support 1 and 2, wholeheartedly disagree 3 and 4 because I like fishing, and see very pretty fish taken out of west side rivers regularly, and like fishing my home waters. I see enough west side trout posted on this forum and on youtube to know it isn't an oddity at all, just less productive fishing with its own unique charm

 

[Tom Butler]

One and two seem fine to me. The others make it a non-starter.
How about a rule that all commercial, tribal and sportfishers must use a rod and reel? Ban open ocean and riverine netting and see how the stocks respond.
(I know it's simplistic and would cause ripple effects and problems, but it's the elephant.)

 

[Stonedfish]

I've always wondered where people within these orgs fish here in Washington, or if they fish at all.
First they attack hatchery fish, which limits opportunity. Now they want to potentially close streams that have wild steelhead. By the way, how many wild steelhead streams are actually making escapement?
They must fish in Montana for trout or fly off to exotic destinations, because they sure seem intent on limiting everyone's angling opportunities here in Washington.
SF

 

[SeaRunner]

I've always wondered where people within these orgs fish here in Washington, or if they fish at all.
First they attack hatchery fish, which limits opportunity. Now they want to potentially close streams that have wild steelhead. By the way, how many wild steelhead streams are actually making escapement?
They must fish in Montana for trout or fly off to exotic destinations, because they sure seem intent on limiting everyone's angling opportunities here in Washington.
SF

Looking at WSC's board of directors it appears most of them are originally from out of state. Lots of Montanans and Rocky Mountain types actually lol.

 

[Paige]

Looking at WSC's board of directors it appears most of them are originally from out of state. Lots of Montanans and Rocky Mountain types actually lol.

Leadership — Wild Steelhead Coalition

www.wildsteelheadcoalition.org