Kudos to Trout Unlimited for devoting the resources and manpower to launch the Wild Steelhead Initiative and Wild Steelheaders United today.
They’ve put together an informative site with a very rational (from our Northern Rockies perspectives) credo as a core set of beliefs guiding the group’s actions (copied below). You can even sign up, be counted and stay informed. We did today.
WE BELIEVE…
Wild steelhead must be protected, restored and sustained.
Wild steelhead can thrive and support fishing opportunity.
It is not the type of fishing gear you use that counts, but how you fish and how you care for the resource.
In using sound science to manage steelhead.
In respectful dialogue to solve problems, not rigid ideological positions.
In short-term sacrifice for long-term, durable progress.
It is not possible to rebuild fishable wild steelhead populations in every river and that some rivers should be set aside for hatcheries.
Wild steelhead — and steelhead anglers — cannot wait for Providence or government agencies to deliver solutions.
Together we can make a difference.
Comebacks are possible.
Having recently spent a couple of years living in Washington state and seeing up close and personal the steelhead management disaster in the Northwest that has been decades in the making, it’s nice to see a team (TU) with some additional clout step into the fray.
To be sure, there has been some great work done by many others thus far (thinking of you Wild Steelhead Coalition), but Washington in particular hasn’t been able to summon the political capital (or willpower) to sufficiently address all the issues, particularly with regard to commercial (read tribal) fisheries (research gill net issues before you disagree on this one…).
Speaking of Steelhead, Have You Signed Shane’s Petition?
Speaking of PNW steelhead, have you seen Shane Anderson’s PNW steelhead petition here? Not everybody will be happy with the details therein, though we applaud his laying it on the line pertinent to recreational impacts as well as commercial (tribal) practices and calling out gill netting violations and by catch issues.
Wild Steelheaders United- Myers from Trout Unlimited on Vimeo.
