One of a kind Seattle Seahawks Sage fly fishing Rod

Place the winning bid on this one-of-a-kind Sage 13’, 7wt VT2 Spey rod and you'll fondly remember the can of whoop ass the Hawks opened on the Broncos every time you’re swinging a fly for steelhead. As an added bonus 100% of the proceeds go to the Wild Fish Conservancy to help support their work to protect, preserve, and restore the wild fish of the Pacific Northwest.

LINK

Conservation Groups Object to Marine Stewardship Council’s “Green Light” to Alaskan Harvest of Endangered Salmon

This should get interesting......

Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC -- Four conservation groups from two countries have joined forces to launch an official objection to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) proposed re-certification of Alaskan salmon fisheries. Wild Fish Conservancy, from Washington State, along with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, based in British Columbia (BC), say that the MSC eco-label is turning a blind eye to serious overfishing in Southeast Alaska.

The groups say that Alaskan fishermen intercept too many salmon from endangered populations as the fish migrate through Alaskan waters on their way to spawning grounds in BC and the continental US. The official objection focused on the Southeast Alaska “unit of certification”  where the groups would like the MSC to apply conservation conditions that would address the overfishing of wild Chinook, sockeye, and chum salmon, and require fishermen to report the numbers of steelhead trout that they take as by-catch and keep or discard.

Summary of sustainability strengths and weaknesses in Alaska salmon fisheries. (PDF)

The four groups filing the objection recognize that Alaska boasts some of the best managed and most productive salmon fisheries in the world. What they are asking for is the same stewardship standard to be applied to catches of endangered and at risk salmon in Southeast Alaska.

LINK

F3T Seattle

The 2013 edition of the Fly Fishing Film tour rolls into Seattle tonight for a sold out show at Seattle's SIFF Cinema. In addition to what will be a rocking house once the lights go down, there are two post show parties to benefit local groups dedicated to wild fish.

Capt. Keith and the folks at Tini Bigs will keep it rolling with drink specials, and a raffle for some great schwag from Sage, Patagonia, Simms, Ex Officio, Redington and RIO with proceeds going to support the Wild Fish Conservancy.

RA Beattie and Ryan Buccola of the Scorpion Expedition and Beattie Outdoor Productions are throwing an after party at Floyd's Place where you can meet the film team and also have a few adult beverages. Proceeds from the bar and raffle are being donated to support the Wild Steelhead Coalition.

Both parties are walking distance from the SIFF so there's no reason to not to swing by and support both. If history is any indication this night will register on the Richter scale so pack your spare liver, a designated driver or some cab fare if you plan on tying one on for wild fish. Speaking of tying one on. Travis Lowe of Cinema Digital Productions, and the man behind the tour selection Thai One On, will also be in the house.

Federal Science Panel Releases Review of the Elwha Hatchery Programs

Care to guess what they determined?

From Osprey Steelhead News:

Last week the Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG), an independent federal science review panel released a long awaited review of the Elwha Hatchery programs. Not surprisingly the HSRG came to many of the same conclusions as we did in choosing to join the Wild Fish Conservancy, Wild Steelhead Coalition and Conservation Angler in a lawsuit against the Elwha hatchery program.

Specifically, the current hatchery emphasis in the plan is unnecessary and counterproductive to the aim of recovering robust wild populations in the Elwha River and that an inadequate monitoring program will limit the ability to adaptively manage hatchery programs and determine the degree to which they are aiding or hindering recovery. Furthermore, no specific recovery goals or thresholds have been established that would lead to a reduction in the degree of hatchery supplementation in the Elwha and many of the hatchery fish being released into the Elwha are not marked with an adipose fin clip.

A few quotes from the document:

"The main concern the HSRG has with the Elwha Plan is the potential for unintended negative consequences of excessive and prolonged hatchery influence."

"Prolonged hatchery influence may lead to loss of fitness of natural populations, potentially resulting in reduced or delayed restoration and loss of long‐term sustainable harvest opportunities."

"Inadequate program monitoring may lead to management decisions that reduce or delay recovery, rather than promoting it, and prevent managers from identifying and testing alternatives that could be more effective."

"The continued production of Chambers Creek steelhead stock during the early phases of recovery therefore appears inconsistent with the priorities and goals the managers have presented."

Download a copy of the HSRG report