What Path Are We Going to Take?
It is now or never for wild steelhead. This year’s terrible run numbers should be ringing alarms bells, not a reason to argue for status quo fisheries and seasons. We must face reality: steelhead fishing in the Columbia and Snake Basin is in a desperate, fragile state. The fact is, in this unprecedented season, we don’t have enough fish to sustain the full fisheries of the past. Unprecedented numbers require unprecedented actions. We don’t have any time left and it is going to take all of us pounding on the desks of leaders and agencies to demand changes to restore steelhead numbers and allow for cautious fisheries when populations are high enough to sustain some impacts.