BY JONAH KUBECKA
As we concluded the Saturday smelt dip on the Cowlitz River, I noticed some very concerning trends.
Myself and party harvested our 10-pound limits very fast. It was a wonderful time and very productive. I will be frying them, smoking them, and using them for bait.
My party consisted of three nonresident dippers, and I reckon between license costs, gas, and a food stop in Longview, we put about $140 toward the local economy. It was a great day and I look forward to doing it again in the future.
I am, however, quite worried about the future of this fishery if things keep going the way they are. I am not talking about department management either.
Specifically, the problem I see lies within recreational dippers. Nearly every person around us was taking well over their legal limit. Many were taking full buckets and running; some were making multiple trips to vehicles and going back for more. This blatant disregard for the fishery is both disgusting and misguided.
Many people view it as “the King’s fish” and do not understand or believe that the run can be decimated. They feel the state is shorting them their due entitlement, call it “government overreach.” They fish for food and sustenance, with little regard for fishery health.
Shad, walleye, catfish, bass are plentiful and good eating, available without season or bag limit. Take and eat at your discretion. A good angler will not go hungry fishing in the Lower Columbia River. There is no excuse for taking more than your legal limit of a fish so carefully protected as to not allow overharvest and thus maintain a healthy run.
This year so far, over 115,000 pounds have been harvested by recreational users, and 20,000 pounds by commercial netters. Looking back at years past, the math is simple. Recreational netters take the King’s share. The tribal and commercial harvest pales in comparison to the recreational take.
I remember years ago, my father would go and we would watch. Limits were much more liberal, and multi-bucket days were not uncommon. There were people, but nothing like the estimated 11,500 who went this last Saturday. 11,500 people dipped over 100,000 pounds of fish in five hours. Let that sink in. That is no record either.
I also remember the years zero fish returned. The years there were so few smelt the tribes had no fish for their ceremonies, no fish for commercial harvest, and no fish for recreationalists. It seems as though this is one of the few fisheries WDFW is trying to properly manage. I feel we can primarily thank the tribes; however, WDFW is carrying the torch, so to speak, and closely monitoring the run. Despite pinnipeds, ocean conditions, poaching, past decimation and unknown factors, these fish are making a strong comeback.
I present a call to action. We as anglers need to support fair, legal, ethical harvest of this wonderful resource. Spread the word within our communities, hold those accountable who break the rules, and encourage law enforcement efforts to maintain and keep this fishery healthy. Report those who break the rules, set the example for those who partake, and teach the younger generation about responsible harvest.
It is up to us as fishermen to keep this fishery alive and nurture it back to what it once was.
