Doesn't WDFW have signs up at the major fishing areas indicating that
there is a emergency closure mandating wild steelhead release on the
Stilly, Skagit, and Snohomish?
See http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/do/newreal/nov2801a.htm or below
November 28, 2001
Contact: Bob Leland (360) 902-2817
Anglers must release wild steelhead on Skagit, Snohomish, Stillaguamish
river systems
OLYMPIA P Anticipated poor returns of wild steelhead to the Skagit,
Snohomish and Stillaguamish river systems has prompted the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to require release of all wild
steelhead caught beginning Dec. 1.
Only hatchery steelhead, which are identified by a missing adipose fin or
ventral fin and a healed scar in the missing fin's location, may be kept
from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28, 2002.
"The low run size estimates of the wild steelhead stocks on these three
northern Puget Sound systems are of serious concern," said Bob Leland,
WDFW's steelhead program manager.
The pre-season forecast for returning Skagit River wild winter steelhead
is slightly more than 5,000 fish, which is just over 80 percent of the
wild spawning requirement of 6,000 fish for the system. Leland said any
estimated steelhead return below that number means no wild steelhead can
be retained.
It is anticipated the catch and release seasons on the Skagit River system
will occur as outlined in the "Fishing in Washington Rules Pamphlet."
Fisheries targeting hatchery steelhead after Feb. 28 may be closed. Leland
said a decision on continuing the fishery into March won't be made until
January.
The pre-season forecasts for wild steelhead for the Snohomish and
Stillaguamish river systems are well below each system's spawning
objective of 6,500 fish and 950 fish, respectively. The Snohomish and
Stillaguamish systems will close to all fishing beginning March 1, 2002,
except for the sport sturgeon fishery in the Snohomish River downstream
from the Highway 2 bridge.
The wild steelhead release regulations allow fishing to occur on returning
hatchery fish while minimizing impacts to wild fish, Leland said.
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Scott The members of this genus (Salvelinus-
Craig includes Bull trout & Dolly Varden)
are by far the most active and handsome
Practise of the trout, they live in the
Catch & Release coldest, cleanest and most secluded waters.
on Wild Salmonids
No higher praise can be given to a
http://www.eskimo.com/~craigs Salmonid than to say, it is a charr.
(Jordan and Evermann 1896)
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