Wild Steelhead of the Columbia need our help!

[David Johnson]

Many of you are already aware that the States of Washington and Oregon have applied to NOAA Fisheries to increase the allowable impacts on ESA listed steelhead in the Columbia by the commercial fleet. The request is to raise from 2% to 6% (triple) the mortality cap on wild winter steelhead to give the commercial fleet the ability to have a higher by-catch of wild steelhead while they are netting Spring Chinook Salmon out of the mainstem.



Members of the sportfishing and conservation community are outraged. After all, there have been decades of conservation efforts and sacrifices made the sportfishing community that is paying off in healthier steelhead stocks. From leading the charge for selective fisheries, changing hatchery practices, habitat and hydro protections, sport fishers have fought for protective measures for wild steelhead. We did not do so to transfer the biological benefits of our efforts over to the commercial fleet to die in tangle nets. It's not fair.



Indeed, many of the stocks are still too fragile to be raising impacts. For example, WDF&W's own biologists suggest that the proposed increase would likely result in the extinction of the Toutle River wild winter steelhead. Furthermore, ocean conditions right now are extremely beneficial to wild steelhead. This is the time to invest the recent increase of wild ESA steelhead in recovery, not in increased mortalities!



Small communities throughout Washington and Oregon are reaping the benefits of steelhead fisheries that are selectively targeted on hatchery winter steelhead. Literally tens of thousands of angler trips are spent in pursuit of winter steelhead in the lower Columbia. ODF&W has estimated that an angler trip in the lower Columbia is valued at $138.00 per day. Sportfishing for winter steelhead occurs during an important window to help sustain year-round family wage jobs. Looking at the last several years of data, there are almost yearly examples where the commercial fleet over fished their preseason quota. This would shut down sport fisheries in the mainstem and in the tributaries, where smaller businesses depend upon winter steelhead.



You must do three things right now!

1) Write (via fax or mail) the Commission Chairs today!

2) Send the same letter to the Governor's office today

3) Pass this e-mail on to others on your list.



Remember to stay professional and polite, but be clear that this is not acceptable. You are welcome to call any of us with questions, or if you need help. We at NSIA would appreciate a copy of your letter sent to: nsia.aaron@comcast.net



Norm Ritchie, President, Association of Northwest Steelheaders

Todd Ripley, Vice President of Political and Legal Affairs, Wild Steelhead Coalition c_n_r_nates@hotmail.com 425-281-0571

Liz Hamilton, Executive Director, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association

866.315. NSIA

[David Johnson]

Question: How do fishery managers make Gill-Nets more Effective?



Answer: Lower the standards.



ODFW and WDFW staffers have written a request to NOAA Fisheries asking for an increase in the allowable kill of threatened and endangered wild winter steelhead by the Columbia River Gill-Net fleet. The latest is new request by ODFW and WDFW to triple the allowed steelhead kill from 2% of the run to 6%!



This request was originally made in 2004, but NOAA Fisheries asked for more information and did not act on that original request. Perhaps most incredible is the increased steelhead kill was not allowed or needed in the 2004 gill-net fishery. Yet the fishery managers persist in their efforts to increased steelhead kill in the gill-net fishery.



Please write the Governor’s office and Fish & Wildlife Commissions and express your opposition to increase the kill on wild winter steelhead in the Columbia River.



Write: Governor’s Office



Jim Myron, Natural Resource Policy Advisor Bob Nichols,

Oregon Governor’s Office Washington Governor’s Office

900 Court Street 302 14th Ave. SW

Salem, OR 97301 Olympia, WA 98054

f/ 503-378-3225 f/360 586 8380

jim.myron@state.or.us Bob.Nichols@ofm.wa.gov,



Write the Fish & Wildlife Commissions, ask for copies sent to all commissioners



Marla Rae, Chair Will Roehl, Chair

Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission

3406 Cherry Avenue, NE 600 Capitol Blvd.

Salem, OR 97303 Olympia WA 98501-1091

f/503 947 6041 f/c/o Susan Yeager 360 902 2267







“Tell ‘em no more steelhead kill in the Columbia!”

[David Johnson]

Last night NOAA Fisheries gave their blessing to increasing the take of winter steelhead to 6% in the mainstem. Now it's up to the commissions to make the call. We understand that Oregon will be making the decision at the February meeting in Troutdale on February 11th, and Washington Commission should hear this issue on February 4th or 5th in Olympia. NSIA will send out times and locations, but we cannot stress how important it will be to attend these meetings, if you want to see wild steelhead go to spawning beds instead of gill nets

I see that there's been over 6oo veiws of this post. If we can even get half that many people to send in letters and/or attend one of these meetings we will save thousands of wild steelhead that should be in their spawning tributaries!

[David Johnson]

WDF&W Writes like increasing the steelhead mortalities is already a done deal.

“We will manage Columbia River commercial spring chinook fisheries in a way that results in a minimal impacts to steelhead each year, and certainly one that averages well below 6 percent over a multiple-year period,” Guy Norman, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Southwest Washington regional headquarters, said about the impact proposal.


Perhaps a better choice of words would have been "We are seeking authority from our Commissions to manage Columbia River..........." Besides, I thought they'd applied for a one year deal?????

So: Here are the dates in history, sportfishers:

1) January 21st 6:00-8:00 in Longview (see below) OR and WA sportfish advisory group
2) February 4-5 In Olympia for WDF&W Commission
3) February 11 in Troutdale for ODF&W Commission

More exact dates and locations will be provided. Sportfishers have sacrificed for decades to put more wild steelhead on the spawning beds, not to be gilled in chinook tangle nets. Don't forget to write your commissioners and your Governors about this. While it is entirely appropriate to be angry and oppose this proposal, do not get personal or attacking. Personal attacks to not help us win, they sink our ship.

One of the other concerns of the NSIA Board is that on years when the gillnet fleet intercepts too many steelhead in the mainstem, not only will it put more risk on wild steelhead, it could close down our access to hatchery steelhead. If there is a 10% overall cap, the mainstem gillnetters take 6%, this could seriously jeopardize some of our important tributary fisheries, such as the Cowlitz, Sandy, Clackamas, etc.......