Upper Columbia River and Methow closure

The Steelheader · 12-21-2003, 09:09 PM

Does anyone have any statistics as far as fish mortality after release goes?

The WDFW has issued a statement as of today that steelheading in the upper Columbia River and Methow river are closed due to high mortality rate of wild fish after release. Please look at the web site for WDFW and read their press release.

Although this is the best steelhead run in 15 years and they say that selective hatchery fishing is good for the population of wild fish, and that there are too many fish, steelhead season has come to an end on the upper Columbia.

We need some people to make some noise about this. This fishery has been closed for 10 years, just opening up 3 years ago, and now what? This is the best run in 15 years, can it get any better? Can they just take our money and then not allow us to fish? Please give me some answers here.

snit · 12-22-2003, 08:53 AM

Another example of "educated idiots"! The fish they're trying to protect are unclipped hatchery raised steelhead. They are the offspring of one clipped Wells stock fish, and one non-clipped (wild-yeah right!) Wells stock fish.

The first 250K plants in the Methow are these "wild" hatchery fish. NMFS convinced the state that the "wild" steelhead production has to increase on the upper Columbia tribs in order to have a season. So Washington state just didn't clip hatchery fish (for a fact....I was at a steelhead symposium and this was stated by a state biologist). Then VIOLA, the "wild" run just magically rebounded!!!!

We can't win against this "bad" science! Alot of "blame" is being pointed at the flyfishers. The fishing was so easy in the fall, that even the flyguys were c&ring 10-15 fish per day. Supposedly, the mortality rate of fly caught fish is substantially higher than gear caught fish, and with that many fish being landed(fly), there was alot of incidentially killed fish (I saw myself).

Until someone (a powerful figurehead) decides that the introduction of hatchery steelhead as "wild" is ludicrious, this will continue. I could go on and on about this subject. Sorry for rambling!