This morning, Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife announced that they are closing ALL coastal River to steelhead sportfishing, effective March 1st. Returns were as low as 30% of predicted returns on some rivers, and were historical lowest returns on several others. DFW return predictions were already at their lowest numbers on the OP, and returns this year are running at only 30% or predicted numbers. WOW!
We were all set to make our annual run up there for a week on this coming Sunday. Flights, hotels and guides all cancelled. BUMMER!
I know there is past history and historical agreements made that cover many issues, but I do find it somewhat ironic that tribes had no reduction in their netting quotas on these rivers. This emergency ruling was a drastic measure that I am sure was thoroughly vetted, but guides have only 5 days notice to close up shop and completely rebuild their 2022 business models if they relied on coastal steelhead fishing as a primary source of income. This is a sad byproduct of these conditions.
This is another example of the dire state that our fisheries are experiencing for most of the west coast. Will it ever rebound? This could be a very sad image of what normal will be.
Bookmarks