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Chehalis River Action Alert!

3K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  larryb 
#1 ·
The Wild Steelhead Coalition received this today:

Attention: Anybody concerned with saving wild steelhead

A travesty is about to happen in the Chehalis River Basin


The Quinault Indian Nation has set a tribal netting schedule for the lower Chehalis River for 5 days a week until April 13 to net wild steelhead. This has not been done in the past!!!!!!! This schedule has been done in coordination with and in agreement with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife even though they are responsible for managing and preserving our fish resources.


The reason the WDFW is doing this is to trade steelhead for salmon. The trade will be between the tribe and the state to allow the white commercial salmon fisherman to have more days gillnetting Grays Harbor and the Chehalis this upcoming year.


The state has a responsibility to save the wild steelhead in the Chehalis River Basin. All the rivers in this basin are wild steelhead catch and release. Many of the rivers do not meet their “Healthy” escapement goals. Now as the WDFW and Fish and Wildlife commission talk about a wild steelhead moratorium they agree to let the Quinault Tribe destroy one of the last healthy runs of wild steelhead on the west coast.


Call these people and complain, call your legislators, call the governor and by all means call now because in the next few weeks the wild steelhead run will reach its peak in the Chehalis River and they will all be DEAD!!!!!!


Commission Members




Will Roehl, Bellingham

Ron Ozment, Cathlament

Dr. Kenneth Chew, Seattle

John A Hunter, Cashmere

Holly Ledgerwood, Pomeroy

Lisa Pelly, Bainbridge Island

Dr J Pete Schroeder, Sequim

Fred Shiosaki, Spokane

Bob Tuck, Selah


Phone: (360) 902-2267

Email: commission@dfw.wa.gov


Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff to Call:


Jeff Koenigs
Director
(360) 902-2225

Larry Peck
Deputy Director
(360) 902-2650

Phil Anderson
Intergovernmental Staff Director
(360) 902-2720

Lew Atkins
Assistant Director, Fish Program
(360) 902-2651

Pat Patillo
Fish Policy Coordinator
(360) 902-2750

Ross Fuller
Fish Management Manager
(360) 902-2655

Bop Leland
Steelhead Program Manager
(360) 902-2817
 
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#3 ·
Wow....that's just amazing. No, that's just disgusting. If escapement goals are being reached and there's good populations, I'm all for wild fish harvest. This, however, is so totally wrong it's criminal.

If we continue to have low river levels for an extended period of time, then the rain raises the river, what happens? A month's worth of fish might come through in just a couple of days. Having nets out on those couple of days could decimate an entire run of fish.

I'm a letter writer, even though I'm an Oregonian, I buy a non-res fishing package each year.

TR
 
#4 ·
The Chehalis is my home river. I will not be fishing it this year for these winter runs. :hoboy:

I am borrowing a post that came from Piscatorial Pursuits that I hope all will read. Please note, there is a very high percentage of wild fish taken in the gillnets. In addition, Bob Ball mentioned that he heard WDFW was considering allowing sporties to retain wild steelhead in this river, to somehow compensate us.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004 (SF Chronicle)
Roe, roe, roe your trout
Olivia Wu

The call for "caviar and Champagne" chimes through the holidays, but for
many in the seafood subculture it's "roe and radish."
Roe in this instance refers to the eggs of the steelhead trout, freshly
harvested from Washington state's winter run. And radish refers to daikon,
the white icicle-shaped vegetable of the raphanus family, crisper and
sweeter in cold weather than at any other time of year.
Caviar and Champagne cater to luxury tastes, but can be had anytime.
However, the little-known steelhead roe and humble daikon are truly
seasonal and worthy of celebratory status.
Steelhead are a variety of trout that swim out to sea and return to their
rivers of origin to spawn. In other words, they are trout that behave like
salmon. They can be caught during a short window of time that peaks in
December and January, and draws to an end in April.
Their eggs resemble scarlet salmon eggs, except that they are crisper and
a deeper red. When fresh-cured, they explode and crunch in the mouth with
lovely, ephemeral flavor. The price, at about $11 per pound, is a fraction
of the cost of premium canned salmon roe at $9 per two ounces, canned
trout roe at $17 per two ounces and American osetra at $63 per ounce.
Still, most Americans have yet to discover this delicacy. Google
"steelhead roe" on your computer and thousands of hits on fish bait and
game fishing spring up on the screen.
More's the pity.
However, a handful of Bay Area restaurants, such as Oliveto in Oakland
and
Rubicon in San Francisco, are privy to the secrets of the roe and welcome
the season. So do many Japanese and Russian cooks. They cure the roe in a
procedure that takes 30 minutes of active preparation. One of the methods,
using hot water, takes even less time.
Once made, the cured eggs can be refrigerated for two weeks, easy to
scoop
over toast points and sour cream. Inventive chefs are putting them on
smoked fish, over salads, pastas and soups, in appetizers and main dishes.
You couldn't ask for fresher, more stunning -- and less expensive --
luxury food.
Chefs-in-the-know guard the cured roe zealously, parceling it out in
select preparations. Katsu Matsuda, chef-owner of Sushi On North Beach
(745 Columbus Ave., San Francisco) whispers the news to long-time patrons
from behind the sushi bar. If the clients are extra-special, Matsuda sends
out Misore Ae -- "melting snow mix." The dish combines sweet-spicy grated
daikon with the salty, crunchy roe raining down on the "cooling snow."
It's a fabulous contrast in color, flavor and texture.
Matsuda uses the highest quality mirin (sweet wine) and tamari soy to
cure
the roe. The dish is likely even better than what you might taste in
Japan, because steelhead trout don't run there and chefs generally use the
eggs of chum salmon.
Steelhead roe is truly an American local and seasonal delicacy. Plus, the
steelhead are caught and harvested in a clean fishery that supports small
fishing families and protects the trout and their environment.
The law permits just two American Indian tribes, the Quinault and the
Quileute, to fish commercially for steelhead, long a revered game fish
along the coast. In an outcome of the historical struggles between the
Quinaults and the Washington state government, the tribe now has
commercial access to the steelhead run, says Peter Redmayne, marketing
manager for Quinault Pride Seafood.
The 50-odd independent Quinault fishing families traditionally have used
practices that sustain the resource. The reservation lies along the
pristine Olympic Peninsula, with the main town, Tahola, set at the mouth
of the Quinault River.
The steelhead are caught right along the line where river meets ocean
water, and processed at a plant within minutes of where the boats perch.
Unlike salmon, steelhead trout do not die after spawning. They return to
the ocean, and tribal monitors make sure enough of the post-spawn fish
return to sea to sustain the fishery. This state of affairs make steelhead
roe a conscionable buy and great alternative for holiday crunching.
Two major wholesalers deal in steelhead roe. Monterey Fish represents the
Quinault; and Steve & Mike Shellfish represent the Quileute.
Premium seafood stores, such as Antonelli's, Ferry Plaza Seafood and
Tower
Market, all in San Francisco; Hapaku in Oakland's Rockridge district;
Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Fish in Berkeley; Crystal Springs Fish and
Poultry Market in San Mateo, as well as various ethnic fish markets are
among the stores that carry steelhead roe or are willing to order it.
However, always call beforehand about availability.
As of earlier this week, the roe was selling for $11 to $13 a pound. It
comes in 1/2- to 1 1/2-pound skeins, or whole egg sacks.
The trickiest part in curing the roe, largely a salting process, is to
remove and separate the eggs, but Tom Worthington of Monterey Fish has an
easy method. He brines the skein in warm water to shrink it, which exposes
and loosens the eggs. Matsuda removes the eggs by hand in a more laborious
process, using only cold water. (See accompanying recipes for both
techniques.) Once made, the roe keeps for 2 weeks or longer, perfect to
pull out of the refrigerator over the holiday weekend to serve with
crackers; to top sushi, salads, smoked fish, pasta or rice; or to serve in
Matsuda's classic preparation of Misore Ae (see recipe).
That's his formal dish. Push him a little and he may have other creations
on hand to serve you. He'll admit that when he's eating by himself, he
goes one step further: "I make a thick sandwich."
That's affordable luxury any time.
 
#5 ·
i have aways felt that sportsmen would be better off if the quinaults took over management of the chehalis system getting rid of the idiots from the state and their what seems like hatred of the sports-fisherman
 
#6 ·
i was just informed that the state is thinking about opening the chehalis system to sportsman to keep wild steelhead to clam them down over the netting schedule. i am thinking the state wants to wipe out what wild fish we have left in the system
 
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