Occupy Skagit III was held on April 4 in Rockport. On that Saturday I joined approximately 70 other fellow recreational fishers on the Skagit to mark another year since the spring catch-and-release wild steelhead season has been closed. Finding a balance between wild steelhead fishing opportunity and conservation can be tough in Puget Sound rivers these days; however, the Skagit River may provide both options if we do it right.
When the Skagit CNR wild steelhead fishery closed in 2010 it was done for good reason. The declining population was listed as threatened under the ESA. The closure was a tough pill to swallow especially on such an iconic steelhead stream. It was a reality check that we all supported. Sometimes sacrifices need to be made in conservation.
Due to numerous factors the trend of wild steelhead adult returns on the Skagit is reversing. Each season we are seeing more and more steelhead return to this system. In 2014, 9,500 fish came back to the Skagit to spawn as part of a continued upward trend.
The 70 fishers that showed up on Saturday think that it is time to start the process to re-open a CNR spring wild steelhead fishery. It should be done with regard to solid science, stringent regulations and monitoring. Anglers should be part of the solution and believe that there is science that backs-up the opinion that CNR fishing is not part of the problem. We support a plan for WDFW to pursue re-opening the Skagit-Sauk catch-and-release wild steelhead season.
Gary Bee
Sky Valley Chapter Trout Unlimited
Monroe
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