Inside scoop

[DoubleJ]

Why landfill them when they could sell them to somewhere like Cedar Grove Composting or Alaska Fish Fertilizer and recoup some of the losses?  Dead fish are GREAT fertilizer

[Elkrunner]

Why landfill them when they could sell them to somewhere like Cedar Grove Composting or Alaska Fish Fertilizer and recoup some of the losses?  Dead fish are GREAT fertilizer

good idea but here is your answer...this state love to waste money..not make money

[wastickslinger]

These fish are not steelhead. There are no steelhead found above Cheif Joseph due to the lackign fish ladder. The fish are triploids dying from raised total dissolved gas (tdg) levels causing Gas Bubble Trauma (GBT). Higher  tdg levels occur when there is an excess of water spilled over the spillway. Gas levels lower as they work downstream toward the next dam where they rise once again.

Heres a link explainign more:

http://fishbio.com/fisheries-news/regional-fisheries-news/mid-columbia-net-pen-trout-rearing-operation-taking-losses-from-gas-bubble-disease

I was going to ask if has flying steelhead. 

[wastickslinger]

Why landfill them when they could sell them to somewhere like Cedar Grove Composting or Alaska Fish Fertilizer and recoup some of the losses?  Dead fish are GREAT fertilizer

good idea but here is your answer...this state love to waste money..not make money

They are not owned by the state, private operation.

[MtnMuley]

They sell them commercially to restaurants as "steelhead". That's why they're being referred to as steelhead. How that's legal I don't know.

[Ripper]

I was on the phone today with the guy from Hooked on Toy's in Wennatchee and he said all the pens have released all the fish still alive. I guess fishing is crazy there right now.

[wastickslinger]

They sell them commercially to restaurants as "steelhead". That's why they're being referred to as steelhead. How that's legal I don't know.

Wow I was not aware of that. I would think maybe to Alpo for dog food or to Scotts for turf builder. 

[MtnMuley]

I was on the phone today with the guy from Hooked on Toy's in Wennatchee and he said all the pens have released all the fish still alive. I guess fishing is crazy there right now.

I don't believe that for a minute.  They must have done it all this morning then.

[wastickslinger]

 

[Malottguy]

I was on the phone today with the guy from Hooked on Toy's in Wennatchee and he said all the pens have released all the fish still alive. I guess fishing is crazy there right now.

I don't believe that for a minute.  They must have done it all this morning then.

Yes they released all the fish from the lower pens, this after one of the pens broke. Reason the released is so they too would not die. Even some that work for the tribe don't understand why they released them when a couple pens were almost ready to harvest. This all happened about a week ago give or take.

YES the fishing has been damn good, though today it backed way off and took most of the day to get 3 fish for my daughter and I. So it seems to be going back to the normal fishing it has been over the last year.

[MtnMuley]

I've been fishing it since the first fish showed up 2 weeks ago. Nobody has a firm answer on where the fish came from. I can assure you that the lower pens have not been emptied, as the fishing there hasn't been nearly as good as other areas. Something happened at the middle pens for sure. As for is slowing down, that's what happens when the fish poachers are taking way more than their limit on a consistent basis during odd hours.

[Malottguy]

Info I got was from the fish checker whom I personally know and trust. He knew one pen for sure had broke but he didn't know how and other were released. Fishing at the pens is a weird thing as you would think the fishing would be hot with released fish but they are I think being flushed down with the increased current. The current by the dam is moving a lot. Last time they had the dam opened for an extended period a lot of fish also went down river. Steelheaders and salmon fisherman were picking them up often last fall.

The middle set had a lot of fish doe off like the upper set had and one person said maybe Lake Roosevelt fish which I laughed at because as far as I know they don't raise trips up there and they Roosevelt fish are fin clipped.

I do agree with the poaching as I saw so much of it yesterday, but does no good to turn them in anymore. Game Dept could care less it seems. It wasn't just odd hours, it was mid day with one rod and 5 fish, but they said they were others fish umm sure