Hatchery Steel Get Slapped on Sol Duc

One of the loudest detractors of hatchery-raised steelhead is the Seattle, Wash., based Wild Steelhead Coalition. They take the best biological data and make strong arguments in favor of wild steelhead in the West’s best rivers. And they recently influenced the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to suspend Snyder Creek hatchery steelhead production on one of the Olympic Peninsula’s best streams, the Sol Duc. In addition, due to the decision, the Sol Duc will be regarded as a Wild Steelhead Management Zone, further protecting the river’s native fish.

Realize there aren’t many people fighting against this plague of impostor steelhead, which threaten the existence of the best steelhead, those fish that are genetically wired for specific rivers up and down the West coast. And in Washington state, where most of WSC’s work is done, this organization’s back is against the wall—many outfitters, anglers, native tribes, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife mindlessly promote hatchery steelhead—because hatchery steelhead can be whacked and taken home for dinner—instead protecting the native giants that grow to 30 pounds or more.

So, hats off to WSC, as always, and WDFW, for once, for making a strong decision that benefits fish in the long run and promotes the future of wild steelhead. Read the full story, HERE

 

 

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