Puget Sound early winter hatchery steelhead

[buzzardbait2]

Hey nate,
Always follow the 11th commandment:THO SHALT NOT GET CAUGHT!
to 4steelhead below: your post below was easy to click on and follow.. thanks to you and CCA.

[rcthepirate]

I just wrote governor Inslee about this lawsuit and encourage everyone to send him an urgent letter stating the following:

-the WFC lawsuit has no merit, when done correctly our hatchery programs can support a robust hatchery fishery, while limiting impacts to wild steelhead.

_If steelhead smelt releases are canceled this spring, many rivers will be closed to steelhead fishing in 2016

-The hatchery programs support many small businesses often in rural areas of Washington, they will go out of business

-Ask Gov to step in and direct WDFW to resolve the differences with NMFS and WFC so that the smelt release can take place.

Etc Ect.

I have worked with many government agencies on a professional level, and in all cases the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Lets make some noise about this.

Slayer

Slayer- they aren't smelt, they are smolts. You should probably change that before you send it.

[SilverSlayer]

That was just a typo. The one I sent to Inslee was correct-Smolt. We do t need any more damn smelt in our rivers!

If you go onto WDFW page there are some contacts there as well. I sent one off to them too but have not heard back.

[4steelhead]

Maybe its a good idea to sign this petition. I found it on Northwest Sportman's blog.
https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/CCAPN ... 68/Respond" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sealegs]

Done. Whatever it takes.

[SilverSlayer]

Looks like the Sky is going to be a lo more crowded in 2015:


WDFW and Wild Fish Conservancy settle lawsuit
over 'early winter' hatchery steelhead releases


OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today it has reached an agreement with the Wild Fish Conservancy that will stop litigation against the department over its Puget Sound hatchery programs for 2½ years and permit the release of hatchery steelhead this spring into the Skykomish River.

No early winter steelhead will be released into other Puget Sound rivers in 2014.

The agreement is reflected in a federal court consent decree signed by WDFW Director Phil Anderson and Conservancy Executive Director Kurt Beardslee. The decree is designed to settle a lawsuit filed by the Conservancy last month in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

In its March 31 complaint, the Duvall-based non-profit group claimed the department's Puget Sound hatchery steelhead programs violate the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) by impairing the recovery of wild steelhead, salmon, and bull trout. All three species are listed as "threatened" under the ESA.

While acknowledging that certain hatchery practices may pose risks to wild fish productivity and recovery, WDFW officials denied the Conservancy's claim and said the department has taken numerous steps based on current science to ensure its hatchery operations protect wild steelhead and other listed fish species.

The department's Hatchery Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) are designed to ensure that all steelhead hatcheries support wild fish recovery, but those plans are still under review by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

"While I am disappointed the agreement does not allow for the release of more of the early winter hatchery steelhead we have on hand into Puget Sound rivers, I am gratified that we were able to reach agreement to release fish from our Skykomish hatchery in 2014 and support a popular recreational fishery," Anderson said.

He added that the most important element of the agreement is the 2½-year suspension of lawsuits initiated by the Conservancy over the department's Puget Sound hatchery programs. The suspension will allow the department to work with tribal fishery managers to resubmit HGMPs for other species raised in Puget Sound hatcheries for NMFS' review and approval.

The federal court agreement includes the following provisions:

WDFW may release up to 180,000 hatchery steelhead in 2014 and again in 2015 into the Skykomish River, which flows into the Snohomish River near Monroe.
The Conservancy will not sue WDFW over its Puget Sound hatchery programs during the next 2 ½ years, or until NMFS approves those programs, whichever comes first.
WDFW will refrain from planting early winter (Chambers Creek) hatchery steelhead into most rivers in the Puget Sound region until NMFS completes its review.
A 12-year research program will be established in the Skagit River, during which no early winter steelhead will be released into the watershed. In cooperation with the Conservancy, WDFW will work with tribes to evaluate and potentially implement a steelhead hatchery program in the Skagit River using native steelhead.
The department may release hatchery steelhead into other rivers around Puget Sound when NMFS approves the department's HGMPs. This provision will not apply to the Skagit River watershed, which will not receive early winter hatchery steelhead releases during the 12-year study period.
Early winter steelhead from WDFW hatcheries that cannot be released into Puget Sound-area rivers will be released into inland waters that have no connection to Puget Sound. The department will give the Conservancy 14 days' advance notice of those releases.
WDFW will pay the Conservancy $45,000 for litigation expenses.
Jim Scott, who heads the WDFW Fish Program, said that until the Conservancy filed the lawsuit, the department had planned to release about 900,000 juvenile steelhead this spring into several rivers that flow into Puget Sound. The settlement means that hatchery steelhead will continue to be released into the Skykomish, while the remaining steelhead will be used to enhance the state's inland trout fishing programs, he said.

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.

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

[BentRod]

"WDFW will pay the Conservancy $45,000 for litigation expenses."

Talk about getting your cake and eating it too. All I can say is

[Brat Bonker]

this is the stupidest thing ever, honestly I am pissed over this. 12 years with out any steelhead on the Skagit river? they better open it for nates then in march and april. and if they real want to help the steelhead runs then they need to kill off the dolly varden which feed on the smolts of salmon and steelhead. and then wdfw has to pay the people sueing them for the costs? that makes no sense. not too mention the money/effort that is spent into the steelhead will be used for trout, why not move it to other rivers like Cowlitz, bogachiel, ect that already hosts big runs or better yet use it to improve runs on smaller rivers that don't have big runs. What the hell is going on, almost makes me not want to buy licenses anymore if they are just wasting the money, well already bought the new one, mind aswell make the most of it

[Bay wolf]

My bet is that monofilament gill nets impact native steelhead more than hatchery fish do. But what do I know, I just pay WDFW to mis-manage, roll over and kiss ass!

This is the beginning of the end...

[MarkFromSea]

2016 Only Puget Sound river to fish for Winter steelhead, the Skykomish. WFC won and got paid to win, sucks...

[sealegs]

Is this site and the participants of this site due for a meeting? How do we, collectively, "rise up" and speak our concerns?

[Norm]

A 12 year research program on the skagit???? what a F'in joke

[4steelhead]

WDFW made a bad situation worse. They negotiate like a bunch of ####s. Trade the Skagit and 45K for the Sky, what a joke! Dont be fooled, WFC got exactly what they wanted..... Keep the Puget Sound bait chuckers packed on the Sky and open up catch and release everywhere else. They just had a big win for their elitist fly flicking hippies.


I'm so disappointed, I'm resorting to name calling

[primetime]

Close those rivers. No one fishes then! Wfc and all those fly flickers can suck it!

[RiverChromeGS]

First off, they are called fly maggots... And secondly... Well nothing I have to say will be allowed to be said on this site. So im saying nothing

[Bay wolf]

Is it time for a mob scene with pitch forks and torches?

How about we all meet up at the Dept. of Natural Resources in Olympia and dump all our steelhead gear on the door step?
That might make a point in the news!

[Mike Carey]

Cool it on the arson comments.

[natetreat]

We need to protest this. I would rather WDFW go to court than settle like this. This is garbage. BULL...

I knew they would bend over backwards, but to settle on this? To an unnoficial group of idiot wannabe scientists? We should sue them, because theyh'll bend over backwards. I say we sue WDFW and NOAA for not getting their HGMP in a row, and letting WFC win like this. I'm going to go pound my head against the wall before I type anything offensive.

These are the people we need to see changed out - http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/members.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Brat Bonker]

lets sue wdfw for not enough hatchery fish how they are effecting the outside economy that is supported by the runs of hatchery fish. create the Hatchery Fish Society.

[fish vacuum]

How about we all meet up at the Dept. of Natural Resources in Olympia and dump all our steelhead gear on the door step?
That might make a point in the news!

Um, yeah. Protest the DNR.

I'm totally confused by the potential broodstock program mentioned for the Skagit. We're going to eliminate early returning hatchery fish, because they might spawn with the late spawning natives. Then we're going to explore the idea of raising late returning hatchery fish that will spawn the same time as the late spawning natives?