WDFW settles with the Wild Fish Conservancy and...

[snowpack]

I must be missing some thing, i don;t fish so excuse my ignorance.
In order to raise steel heads didn't they just use harvested eggs for steel head in the area, then raise and release them? Are they really genetically different?

On a separate note, wasn't there a program that tried to spread salmon carcases on the rivers to help promote cadis fly growth?

The fish of concern for the lawsuit are the Chambers Creek steelies.  They aren't really that different genetically.  If they were, they couldn't spawn with the strains that have built up in the rivers.  But they aren't the same, either.  The fish stray into rivers enough that overall, they have kept themselves nearly identical along the entire west coast.  It might take a thousand years to get a successful trait to spread from Alaska to California, though. It would be like asking if a blacktail from Whidbey Island is the same as a blacktail from high up in the North Cascades.

[steeleywhopper]

Nothing pisses me off more than this crap! In leu of not being able to swear on this site,I will refrain from commenting on how I feel about WDFW.

[Mtn.Ghost]

 

WDFW and Politicians 

[calawahsteelie]

My children thank you WDFW for letting a bunch a greenies take away one of the best things in the world a kid can do. Grow a spine! 

[Bullkllr]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/apr2514b/


"When the lawsuit was filed, WDFW officials said the department was vulnerable to litigation because its hatchery steelhead operations had not been approved by NMFS following the ESA listing of Puget Sound steelhead in 2007. Scott said WDFW worked with tribes to revise and update its HGMPs for all Puget Sound steelhead hatcheries, and resubmitted them to NMFS earlier this year."
Not sure how true it is, but rumor has it that the only reason NMFS did not approve the plan yet was because WDFW failed to apply. After seven years.

With the litigation settled, Scott said the department will work with tribal and federal officials on an aggressive schedule to complete the NMFS review.
 Great job, all!

 Circus fricken' clowns could do a better job... or 3rd graders...or crack addicts...heck, anybody!

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/reeltimenorthwest/2014/04/25/lawsuit-over-hatchery-steelhead-plants-in-westside-rivers-appears-resolved-but-not-the-outcome-sport-anglers-wanted/

[bigtex]

So here's the quick story.

NMFS lists Puget Sound Steelhead under the ESA. In order for WDFW to continue with hatchers steelhead programs in this area they essentially need a permit to operate the hatchery from NMFS. WDFW submits the paperwork to NMFS.....

Federal budgets come and NMFS essentially reduces their permitting program personnel along with all other programs in their agency... WDFW is still waiting on their permits.

Basically what you have is WDFW operating without a federal permit to operate these hatcheries.

The Wild Fish Conservancy is basically saying WDFW you can't operate these hatcheries in these rivers until you get a permit. The sad part is, it's true. WDFW was setting themselves up for legal issues, but they decided to go ahead and continue with the hatchery programs. Legally, they were supposed to wait until the permit showed up

[Forks]

Thank you Bigtex for clearing this thread up. WDFW has been waiting for years for the permit to show up.

[Elkaholic daWg]

Thank you Bigtex for clearing this thread up. WDFW has been waiting for years for the permit to show up.

And what groups friends are responsible for that???

[RG]

So they wait for years....  That sounds to me like ineffective management.  If I order something and I have to wait for years I take steps to fix it.  If I were the WDFW and I knew that the future of steelhead fishing for all young people in Washington State would be eliminated or at least reduced to basically nothing if I didn't get that permit, I might think it was important enough to do whatever it takes to make something happen.  I call this caving to political pressure because it sure seems to me that it was awfully convenient to sit back and wait, knowing it wasn't going to happen, then make up some stinkin lame weak excuse about the cost of litigation so we have to eliminate the hatchery program most places.  They eliminated the hatchery program for steelhead pretty much in the late 90's.  It's been so reduced compared to the early 90's and before then that you wouldn't be able to tell if any hatchery fish were released or not by fishing.  This is an excuse for mismanagement. It just sounds easy to justify because you can blame NMFS for failure to manage by WDFW.  That is a really weak excuse.

[BOWHUNTER45]

So they wait for years....  That sounds to me like ineffective management.  If I order something and I have to wait for years I take steps to fix it.  If I were the WDFW and I knew that the future of steelhead fishing for all young people in Washington State would be eliminated or at least reduced to basically nothing if I didn't get that permit, I might think it was important enough to do whatever it takes to make something happen.  I call this caving to political pressure because it sure seems to me that it was awfully convenient to sit back and wait, knowing it wasn't going to happen, then make up some stinkin lame weak excuse about the cost of litigation so we have to eliminate the hatchery program most places.  They eliminated the hatchery program for steelhead pretty much in the late 90's.  It's been so reduced compared to the early 90's and before then that you wouldn't be able to tell if any hatchery fish were released or not by fishing.  This is an excuse for mismanagement. It just sounds easy to justify because you can blame NWFS for failure to manage by WDFW.  That is a really weak excuse.

I agree ...I am beyond tired of all this crap ...The only steelhead that will be caught in the future is from the Indians and there nets ,,,   And they will be Native .... Wait a minute ...DO NOT WE LIVE ON EARTH TOO !!!! Birrrrrrrrrrrrrr Dirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[BOWHUNTER45]

What needs to happen is a huge  protest ....Lets take the Skagit for instance ...when the tribes start fishing for native steelhead in the fall and we have to stand by and watch we need to round up every boat in the county and launch the biggest fleet of boats known to man and start fishing ...Make them bring in Semi trucks to haul us all off ....I am in !! Are you ? My blood pressure is running super high this morning ... on them all !!! 

[Dhoey07]

I want to see the state to issue a formal apology for anyone that bought a fishing or hunting license for A. Not doing their job B. Knowing that they were vulnerable to a lawsuit and doing nothing about it C. Using sportsman's dollars to pay for their stupidity and D. Embarrassing the sportsmen of Washington state by getting their butts whipped in the courtroom by some fish hugging greenies. 

Am I over the top to think that someone or some people seriously dropped the ball here and should lose their job? Where's the accountability?

[snowpack]

I was under the impression that NOAA-Fisheries is the one that has been dragging their feet and causing all the delays.  WDFW has been submitting the papers necessary for the permit, but NOAA is taking years to process.  And in the mean time, WDFW has just been operating without the permit hoping NOAA will call it all good.  WDFW made it easy for the greenies.

[Elkaholic daWg]

You will Never see me apologize for WDFW......But  NOAA made it easy for the greenies. And I'm sure not by mistake.....

[LabChamp]

I was speaking to a wdfw representative on Friday about fish returns. First I expressed my sincere discontent with the raising license costs, along with decreasing opportunities/fish returns/accessible land for sportsman use. His response was, well you're touching on several different issues. Well yes because I have several different reasons to stop supporting the wdfw if they continue to misuse the sportsman dollar. He quickly attributed the decline in fish stocks to what he said was a continuing 30 year trend in slowing fish return rates. I was quick to ask him what research has been done to create a plan to reverse these results.  He was quick to put the blame on global warming, changing oceanic conditions, weather patterns, drying creek beds, lack of spawning territory, ect. I again tried to redirect the conversation back to what is currently being done to monitor these conditions to start providing some kind of informational pattern to help us determine which, if not all these conditions are contributing to the diminished returns of even hatchery fish. He replied since the latest economic dip it has been hard for the department to fund these activities at full capacity. So basically we are paying more for less and they know it. Gentlemen was also kind enough to inform me that most of the revenue they receive doesn't come from license sales. Most comes from the feds. Boy this is starting to make more and more sense to me. They don't have to care about what we want as sportsman because at the end of the day we aren't who pays the bills.