Washington limits Snake River steelheaders to catch-and-release

Extremely low returns of steelhead this season have prompted Washington to restrict steelhead fishing to catch-and-release on the main Snake River this season.

In some Snake tributaries, such as the Grande Ronde, the emergency rules will allow a daily limit of one adipose fin-clipped hatchery steelhead.

The rules are posted on the agency’s fishing regulations webpage. They go into effect on Friday, and will continue until further notice.

Idaho already has enacted emergency catch-and-release rules for steelheading in state waters as the ocean-going rainbows are setting records or near records for low returns up the Columbia and Snake rivers. Recent drought years and poor ocean conditions are major factors.

“We knew we had to protect both wild and hatchery steelhead moving up the Snake bound for Idaho,” said WDFW regional fish biologist Chris Donley of Spokane. “It’s a first in my recollection.”

The steelhead in the Grand Ronde, Touchet, Tucannon, and Walla Walla rivers are not Idaho-bound, explained WDFW district fish biologist Jeremy Trump. Based on tag returns of those fish, he said, allowing one hatchery fish a day in those waters will still leave enough for Washington hatchery broodstock needs and adequately protect weaker stocks of wild steelhead.

On the Grande Ronde and Touchet rivers, Washington’s new rules will:

• Reduce the daily limit on steelhead to one hatchery fish.
• Close fishing to steelhead in all tributaries.
• Remove mandatory hatchery steelhead retention rule.

Tucannon and Walla Walla river emergency rules are similar except they don’t have specific closures to steelheading in all tributaries.

Washington anglers must use barbless hooks when fishing for steelhead, even in a normal season, and they must stop fishing for steelhead once the daily limit has been retained. Anglers in Washington waters cannot remove any steelhead from the water unless it is retained as part of the daily bag limit.

Fishery managers recently downgraded the forecast of early-run (or A-run) steelhead returning to the mainstem Snake River to 54,000 from 112,100 fish. However, fish managers also point out that steelhead are likely to rebound in a year or two to better river flows.

Joe DuPont, Idaho Fish and Game Department regional fisheries manager in Lewiston, said he is confident the catch and release regulations are sufficient to get adequate returns of hatchery fish and protect wild fish that are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

“I can tell you we have had many catch-and-release fisheries across the state of Idaho where fish rebounded and flourished,” he said. “Catch and release fishing has proven to be a successful technique to help rebound fisheries that have declined for various reasons.”