Ever wander what happened to your favorite river?
This beautifully written story By Bill Herzog may tell you. Writing for Wild Steelheaders United, Bill tells a story of the good old days on the Nisqually and Skagit, and takes some responsibility for what went wrong. A stark reminder that recreational fishing is not without its impact.
“Not loggers. Not land developers. Not tribal netting. We did it. We killed too many. Us.
The Nisqually’s fall was so swift, so severe, it went in just six years. There was an experimental catch and release season in 1988, but so few fish returned it too was shut down. It’s been nearly thirty years closed now. The Nisqually is barely alive with a return of 300 to 500 fish.”
Check out, “OOOH-OOH, THAT SMELL…”
Louis Cahill Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
Louis
This is a sad story unfortunately replicated in different degrees for many fisheries, salt and fresh, right down to the wardens who do not show up to enforce even modestly intrusive limits. You and I know a place with the same story in Kent’s home area, but the collapse and loss of two wild steelhead fisheries is a tragedy with no relief from grief. “When will they ever learn… ?” We know the answer, unfortunately.
True Ralph. What we’ve seen in GA is a tragedy but nothing like the loss of these unreplaceable fish. Well, unless you want to talk about our brooke trout. Don’t get me started. I was just in the UK for 2 weeks. What’s happening there to Atlantic Salmon is a real wake up call for steelhead conservation. I’ve seen where this road goes and I don’t like it.
As hard as we work on preserving and restoring fisheries, I feel we are losing far too many of the battles and the treasures that are forever lost along the way. It is tragic. And hearing of losses around the world makes me feel even more powerless. Hard as it is, we need to hear it.
Glad I could brighten your day! LOL
Louis – Thank you for sharing this. Steelhead fishing is only getting more popular, restricting ourselves is a tough cultural shift, as we saw with banning wild kill on the Olympic Pen. this year. Thinking big, with things like dam removal, we can see recovery happen.
DM
Excellent post!! Responsible angling is VITAL to the future of our sport.