Washington Fisheries (Mis) Management

I was on the river with a gentleman the other day. It seems he was quite taken by one the biologists, and was commenting on some of the management philosophies as we fished. We discussed a wide range of topics about current steelhead management on the local streams. He talked I listened. I talked he listened. As John was more inquisitive than passionate, we were able to have a very frank conversation without either feeling threatened.

At first John seemed to be parroting the views of this other biologist. Then he started interjecting questions of his own and finally he turns to me and says, " So do you think that these agency views are part of the problem or part of the solution". I had to stop and think about it, that is a good question.

Opening Remarks: After spending the last twenty years working directly or indirectly with the fisheries and the management groups, having witnessed first hand, the effects of over harvesting, and habitat digression. I have now moved to a very simple mission statement. "If it has an adipose fin, it must be wild. If it is wild, put it back in the water alive".

Issues that muddle the water:

If we mass mark every fish that leaves the hatchery, then our harvest models do not work because we would assume every fish has a code wire tag". This is an argument generally posed by the commercial management. The fact is, if every hatchery fish was marked there would be no need for code wire marking because these hatchery fish are the only salmon or steelhead, to be harvested. Who would be against it? Any harvest method that cannot distinguish between clipped and non-clipped fish. You guessed it, net fisheries.

Maximum Sustained Yield (MSY) VS Optimum Sustained Yield (OSY)

MSY is a harvest model that defines what is the most fish that can be harvested and still maintain a viable population. All user group interested in kill fisheries are constantly coming up with fisheries models that demonstrate how theoretically we should be able to harvest at X amount and still not kill the run. The problem is MSY is another word for greed, and we are constantly harvesting into the population that is needed to spawn. It doesn’t take into account of ocean survival rates, or any other environmental problems that could push the population over the edge.

OSY is a harvest model that demonstrates maximum sustained spawning, or , how big would the population be, if we let it. Harvest managers like to attack what seems to be a logical solution of building dwindling populations. Their argument is that the Carrying Capacity is reached, and therefore we are actually helping nature by harvesting off the surplus.

Let me tell you something. In the twenty years of being involved in the native fisheries in streams of north Puget Sound, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN.....NOT ONCE!

Policy is driven by politics and not by biology:

Let me illustrate my point. I was fishing with a gentleman from the game commission last spring. We were enjoying probably the finest spawning escapement on the North Fork Stilly I had seen in recent history. We handled five wild steelhead that day. How come? 1997 brood return of hatchery steelhead was worse than dismal. Worst in recent memory. So bad, it actually frightened fisheries management into cutting off all steelhead kill fisheries from February on. Now I could take the time to explain how department policy has systematically genetically polluted this stock to its pathetic state, but that is another topic. What stopping the kill of the native steelhead (It went to Catch and Release) did, was allow the spawning population to return. Voila! Best return we have had in ten years! And the boys out there doing C&R? They were having a ball!

Now let me play with your head for one minute. If we had all those fish up there spawning - by just releasing them for one year. How many fish will return off the large number of spawning fish we had this year? Biologists would love to point out that the stream would saturate its carrying capacity and returns wouldn’t increase. I have a novel idea. Being these fish were doing this long before we were here, LET’S LET THEM SPAWN AND SEE!

Old Dogs Won’t Hunt: No, the fact of the matter is, fishing conservation such as C&R works. States all around us use it. Places like Montana, Oregon, Alaska, and Idaho, but we know better. Oh Yeah? So how come half our streams are declared endangered, and how come Puget Sound Chinook are next? Because our managers are not going to manage any different then they have for the last twenty years, that’s why.

How come?

How come every other state has come to the conclusion that wild steelhead release is a vital management tool that allows for maximum recreation and minimum kill, but us.

How come we target kill fisheries in February in our lower rivers on the very fish that are our biggest and genetically strongest? (Large native males enter first)

How come we have a C&R fishery, barbless hook on the Sky and Skagit systems while the poor Stilly fish are subjected to the bait boys and barbed hooks.

HOW COME WE CAN’T HAVE A DEPARTMENT THAT HAS THE BALLS TO MANAGE BIOLOGICALLY, AND LET THE USER GROUPS FALL IN LINE? Please do not give us this stuff about, "you are just a few more of the snooty flyfishers and of course you want to release your fish, anyway". THIS IS NOT ABOUT FISHING GROUPS, THIS IS ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR THE FISH!

So we finished the fishing day, my game commissioner and me. We talked about the wild steelhead policy, about a director under fire. About how it was a new day, and I was going to see some changes.

I went home and read that the Stilly was open through March for native steelhead kill, bait and barbed hooks allowed.

Part of the solution?..............Please.

Stories and Articles Index

Home

Dennis Dickson Fly Fishing Steelhead Guide dddicksons@aol.com

WEB design by Sandy Lockleer  www.magicwebsolutions.com

copyright 1998 Dennis Dickson, Fly Fishing