Harvest

Dozens of trout and salmon species in North America have fallen victim to over-harvest through the last century. For example, Lahontan cutthroat trout weighing upwards of 50 pounds were once common in Nevada's Pyramid Lake. They were commercially harvested in the early 1900s with little or no foresight given to their survival. Through hatcheries and conservation, Lahontans are hanging on in Pyramid and neighboring streams, but the native giants of the past are likely gone forever.

TU supports sustainable harvest of healthy trout and salmon populations. In cases where harvest is jeopardizing whole populations or native genetics, TU works to revise harvest practices to ensure the long-term survival of those fish.

Problem: The vast migratory range of salmon can cause harvest disputes, which can then lead to over-harvest.

Salmon do not recognize state or national boundaries. Along the Pacific coast of North America, many of the juvenile salmon travel north as they leave the rivers. Chinook salmon from the rivers of the northern Oregon coast and the Columbia River swim north to Canadian and Alaskan waters. Coho from rivers on the west coast of Washington and Puget Sound often move into the waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island, as do chinook from Puget Sound. Coho from northern British Columbia rivers frequently migrate through the waters of the Alaskan panhandle. Sockeye from Canada's Fraser River migrate through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. As a result of these diverse migrations, fishermen in the U.S. and Canada often harvest substantial numbers of fish originating in rivers of the other country. Over the years the harvest of each other's stocks has caused tension between the two nations.

Solution: International negotiations to ensure fair and proper harvest allocations and prevent over-harvest.

In 1985, the U.S. and Canada signed a treaty to regulate the harvest of shared salmon stocks. The implementation of the treaty, which was based on the twin principles of equity and conservation, worked reasonably well for a few years, but in the early 1990s, problems began to arise. In particular, as southern U.S. stocks began declining because of over-harvest, habitat destruction and dam construction and operation, Canadian harvests of southern U.S. origin fish declined. However, Alaskan harvests of Canadian origin fish did not. Thus Canada was continuing to supply Washington and Alaska with fish, but was no longer reaping the benefits of salmon production in Oregon and Washington.

As tensions increased, the shared fish stocks became pawns in a political battle between the two countries. By 1998, the treaty was at a stalemate. Trout Unlimited, along with its sister organization, TU Canada, decided something had to be done. They released a paper, titled "Resolving the Pacific Salmon Treaty Stalemate," that contained recommendations for resolving the dispute. The paper was presented to both governments.

The fact that conservation-minded anglers from both countries could agree on solutions received considerable press coverage and increased the pressure on the governments to resolve their differences. In June 1999, the U.S. and Canada announced agreement on a series of measures to end the stalemate, adopting many of TU's recommendations. The Fisheries Minister of Canada recognized that TU had helped change the course of negotiations between the two governments.

Problem: Outmoded sport harvest regulations sometimes allow for over-harvest of native trout and salmon.

Old habits can be hard to break, and in many states, old habits dictate much of the fisheries sport harvest regulations. Areas once home to prolific trout or salmon fisheries that have long since undergone declines still tend to be subject to the old harvest and tackle allowances, and fish inevitably suffer further damage. Catch-and-kill allowances on remnant native trout and salmon stocks in some cases can be the final blow that causes those fish to be lost forever.

Solution: Local participation in the decision making process to ensure sustainable sport harvest regulations.

Local TU councils and chapters are uniquely positioned to participate in the rule-making processes that determine sport harvest regulations. Across the country, hundreds of dedicated TU volunteers attend meetings, provide comments and testimony, and sit on committees within the framework of state regulatory proceedings. Their time and input invariably result in regulation updates or changes that benefit coldwater fisheries.

In Oregon, for example, TU sat on a review board for proposed changes in state sport fishing regulations. Until recently, anglers were allowed to keep as many as five fish on many Oregon streams that are critical habitat for native redband and Lahontan cutthroat trout, and were also allowed to fish with bait on many of those waters, further increasing hooking mortality risk. However, through the rule revision process conducted every four years, TU secured significant revisions in sport harvest limits and terminal tackle rules for streams containing wild native trout. As a result, those wild stocks are now protected from the increased hooking mortality associated with bait fishing, and harvest is limited to up to two fish in streams where harvest is allowed at all.

Problem: Improper handling and releasing of fish by anglers.

Catch-and-release angling has become increasingly prevalent in North America, due to both increasingly conservation-minded regulations and anglers. Done properly, catch-and-release can make the difference between a fish that lives to see another day and reproduce or one that doesn't. A visit to any popular fishery reveals that far too many anglers don't understand proper catch-and-release techniques.

Solution: Educate anglers about proper catch-and-release techniques.

TU councils and chapters provide an invaluable outlet for catch-and release education. Through demonstrations, printed materials, video productions, Web sites and word of mouth, TU promotes catch-and-release to its members and other interested anglers. Here are the basics:

• Don't play fish to exhaustion. To prevent a fatal lactic acid build up, bring fish in quickly and use a landing net.
• Handle fish with wet hands, grasping them across the back and head.
• Don't remove swallowed hooks; just cut the line.
• Don't keep the fish out of the water for more than 10-15 seconds.
• When placing fish back in moving water, face them upstream in their natural position.