2013-12-29

More Paradise 2013-12-26

2013-12-26 We live in Paradise

2013-12-24

2013-12-23

2013-12-17

2013-12-15

Comment period extended on gene banks for wild steelhead

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/
December 12, 2013
Contact: Cindy Le Fleur, (360) 696-6211

Comment period extended on
gene banks for wild steelhead  

OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has extended the public comment period by one week on a proposal to create wild steelhead gene banks in three tributaries of the lower Columbia River.
WDFW will now accept written comments submitted through Thursday, Dec. 19 at http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01559/ . Recommendations currently under consideration by the department are also available on that website.
Those recommendations, developed by three WDFW advisory groups over the past two years, would eliminate the release of all hatchery-raised steelhead on the East Fork Lewis River and the North Fork Toutle/Green River watershed as early as next year.
They would also prohibit future releases of hatchery steelhead in the Wind River, which has not been stocked with hatchery steelhead since 1997.
"This proposal is designed to preserve key wild steelhead populations by minimizing interference by hatchery-produced fish," said Cindy Le Fleur, WDFW regional fish manager. "Research has shown that those interactions can range from interbreeding to competition for food and habitat."
Gene banks are one of a number of management strategies endorsed by the department’s Statewide Steelhead Management Plan, Le Fleur said. 

Under the current proposal, WDFW plans to redirect hatchery steelhead smolts currently earmarked for rivers proposed as steelhead gene banks to other tributaries of the Columbia River. Final recommendations will be forwarded to NOAA-Fisheries, which oversees salmon and steelhead recovery on the Columbia River.

2013-12-12

2013-12-11

2013-12-07

If I had not screw up and overexposed my moon shot tonight; I may have missed neptune passing.

2013-12-05

2013-12-04

Winter & Summer Steelhead Smolt Stocking - 2012

N Fork Stillaguamish Rv
winter 152,599
summer 76,225

State, tribal, federal and regional enhancement groups steelhead smolt releases between April 15 and May 31, 2012 Smolts are defined as hatchery reared steelhead released at a minimum size of 10 fish per pound. The majority of the adult returns from these releases are expected during the 2013-2014 winter and 2014 summer seasons. Some releases are associated with supplementation efforts and are not intended to augment harvest opportunity. Select system totals in italics. Updated September 25, 2013

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/steelhead/2012.html