Take Action for Wild Steelhead

Runs were so depleted, Brian O'Keefe convinced his Mom to move the family to Oregon.

TAKE ACTION HERE

TAKE ACTION: Help Create Wild Steelhead Sanctuaries in Washington

A VERY important action alert from the Wild Steelhead Coalition

Help protect and recover threatened populations of wild steelhead in once prolific Puget Sound rivers by telling Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to establish strong, effective wild steelhead gene banks.

Among other culprits of steelhead decline, hatcheries are a contributing factor to why Puget Sound steelhead populations have plummeted to roughly three percent of their historical abundance. Decades of management that prioritized hatchery plants at the expense of wild steelhead returns are part of why these incredible fish are now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.  

Recognizing this problem, the Wild Steelhead Coalition and its members have worked tirelessly since its founding to mitigate the negative impact that hatchery steelhead have on their wild counterparts, including seeking to reduce or revise hatchery plants in watersheds with sufficient potential for wild steelhead recovery. But now more than ever before, we need to take action.

Through years of hard work and extensive collaboration with Native Fish Society, Wild Fish Conservancy, and the Conservation Angler, we have been able to take important, incremental steps to help reduce the negative impacts of steelhead hatcheries. However, in all of our years of work, we have never before had an opportunity like this in Puget Sound to use public input and the best available science to transform rivers into wild steelhead gene banks where the harm of hatchery steelhead will be forever eliminated.

While the creation of at least three wild steelhead gene banks is required under Washington’s State Steelhead Management Plan, WDFW has significant latitude over how many rivers and which rivers they designate as gene banks. With hatchery proponents working furiously to limit these designations to three smaller tributaries, it is critical that wild steelhead advocates make their voices heard and establish river basins that have diversity, abundance and will provide refuge through a changing climate.

Over the next two weeks, WDFW will be hosting three meetings for citizens to express their opinions publicly on the designation of Wild Steelhead Gene Banks. Please attend one of these meetings and make your voice heard.  

• Public Comment Meeting – Tuesday, July 21 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM in Seattle at the Phinney Center: Room 7 (6532 Phinney Ave N)  
• Public Comment Meeting – Monday, July 27 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM in Mount Vernon at Skagit PUD (1415 Freeway Dr.)
• Public Comment Meeting – Tuesday, July 28 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM in Sequim at Trinity Methodist Church (100 S Blake Ave) 

A comment form is also available online for those of you unable to attend the meeting but wishing to submit comments.

Sasquatch and the Steelhead

Deep in the Olympic Peninsula rain forest wild steelhead still carve a small niche into the ecosystem. This is the unlikely story of an even rarer species who calls this remote corner of Washington State home.

Keep wild steelhead wet!

Infographic courtesy of Rich Simms

Wild winter steelhead enter our coastal rivers in a more mature condition and closer to spawn timing with fish sometimes caught within hours to days of freshwater entry or in their holding and spawning areas. This vulnerable condition makes them susceptible to loss in fry production by improper handling practices and exposure to air. Let’s work together to reduce our impact by keeping wild steelhead underwater.

Download the full-size image HERE.

If It's For Sale, Should We Eat It?

No!

KPLU scratches the surface in this report about wild steelhead making its way to the dining table.

Don't eat wild steelhead....period.

1200 Year Old Huon Fly Box

Shawn Mitchell, master tyer of classic Atlantic Salmon flies, handcrafted this beautiful one of a kind fly box to help support the Wild Steelhead Coalition's year end fundraising campaign.

Made from 1200 year old sustainably harvested windfall Tasmanian Huon Pine, the box also is also loaded with some beautiful spey flies tied by Shawn and other talented tiers.

By making a donation of $500 or more to the Wild Steelhead Coalition before the end of the year you will be automatically entered into a raffle for this heirloom quality box and collection of flies.