In a move already being heralded by some as ‘limiting steelheading opportunities’, yesterday Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) finally made the right call for wild steelhead, actually designating three lower Columbia tribs as ‘wild steelhead gene banks’.
Hatchery fans should be encouraged by the agencies redirection of East Fork Lewis and North Fork Toutle smolts to other waters.
From the press release yesterday –
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) today designated three tributaries of the lower Columbia River as “wild steelhead gene banks,” where it will no longer release steelhead raised in fish hatcheries.
Starting this year, WDFW will no longer plant hatchery steelhead in the East Fork Lewis River or the North Fork Toutle/Green River. The Wind River, which has not been stocked with steelhead since 1997, will also be off-limits to any future releases.
As part of that plan, WDFW will redirect more than 50,000 hatchery smolts previously slated for the East Fork Lewis River into the Washougal River and Salmon Creek, and is working to place another 25,000 smolts previously earmarked for the North Fork Toutle/Green River.
Director Phil Anderson said those actions are part of a statewide effort to help conserve and restore wild steelhead, particularly those listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). All three watersheds designated as gene banks today support wild steelhead listed as threatened since 1998.
“We are building a future where wild steelhead – our state fish – can be enjoyed as part of the natural heritage of our state,” Anderson said. “We will continue to support fisheries with hatchery production in selected areas of southwest Washington, while ensuring that wild fish can be given the best opportunity possible to rebuild and flourish in the future.”
It’s a drop in the bucket when viewed from the perspective of the shameful mess WA state’s native anadromous fish are in today, but a step in the right direction beats the hell out of further losses any day.
