Editors note: This is the first in a multi-part series looking at both the decline and recovery of wild steelhead runs. By Bill Herzog Here I am, as far into the corner of eastern Washington as you can get, waist deep in the mighty Snake River, two hander whooshing around me every few minutes. I’m immersed, literally …
Oregon HGMP scoping comments
March 17, 2016 Sent via email to: OregonCoastHatcheryEIS.wcr@noaa.gov National Marine Fisheries Service Sustainable Fisheries Division 2900 NW Stewart Parkway Roseburg, OR 97471 RE: Oregon Coast Hatchery EIS Scoping Comments To Whom It May Concern: Trout Unlimited (TU), the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring our nation’s trout and …
Catch and Release is not a Crime
Occupy Skagit April 30, 2016 Howard Miller Steelhead Park Rockport, WA Drift boats full of steelhead anglers plying emerald green waters are a common fixture of Northwest Rivers in late winter and spring. However this is no longer the case in Puget Sound where spring steelhead seasons have been closed for nearly a decade.The Skagit River was arguably …
Washington’s most recent Wild Steelhead Gene Bank
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced their most recent Wild Steelhead Gene Bank designation which will be situated on the Grays and Chinook Rivers in the Lower Columbia. It is the final of four gene banks planned for the region. “Gene banks are an important tool for the recovery of wild fish in the state of Washington. …
Comment on Lower Columbia Wild Steelhead Gene Bank
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking comment on its most recent round of Wild Steelhead Gene Bank designations. Wild Steelhead Gene Banks are mandated by WDFW in their 2008 Statewide Steelhead Management Plan. Submit your comments at TeamVancouver@dfw.wa.gov by this Friday, February 5th. Per the Department, stocks selected as Gene Banks must be sufficiently abundant and …
Are there any wild steelhead left? Yes, there is no doubt. But it is up to us to ensure their future and the fisheries they provide.
A topic that is commonly raised in the steelhead conservation world is whether there are any “pure” wild steelhead left. Before I answer, I want to take a step back first. There are two types of hatcheries. We have integrated hatcheries, where fish used for broodstock are taken from the same population in which they are planted. These are …
The case for a portfolio of wild-only and hatchery steelhead rivers in Puget Sound
What does “fishing opportunity” mean to steelhead anglers? The answer depends on who you ask. For some, opportunity must include the ability to harvest steelhead. But for the majority of anglers, based on our extensive poll of roughly 650 active steelhead anglers, opportunity is defined as being on the water with the chance to catch and release a steelhead. …