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Headlines

Southwest Washington Poacher Pleads Guilty To 15 Counts

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William J. Haynes, part of a loose-knit Southwest Washington poaching ring, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of illegal hunting activities, including five felonies, in Skamania County yesterday.

WILLIAM J. HAYNES. (WDFW)

The 25-year-old could be sentenced to a year in jail, according to The Daily News of Longview, which broke the news.

Haynes also stands to lose his rights to own guns and dogs, and could be ordered to not contact two other members of the group that unlawfully ran hounds after bears, killing and leaving the carcasses to waste, as well as lose his hunting privileges, depending on a judge’s decision, according to the paper.

The other 10 charges he pleaded guilty to were gross misdemeanors.

“That’s the most I’ve ever heard someone plead guilty to,” WDFW Region 5 Captain Jeff Wickersham told reporter Alex Bruell.

Haynes had been originally charged with 64 counts in Skamania County.

The Daily News also reported two other major players had been convicted there:

  • Eddy A. Dills pleaded guilty to illegal big game hunting in the first degree, unlawfully hunting with hounds and wastage last November and was sentenced to three-plus weeks of home detention;
  • And his son Joseph A. Dills pleaded guilty to four similar charges last October and faces sentencing next month.

The fourth primary member of the group, Erik C. Martin, had also been expected to plead guilty and is currently serving a jail sentenced in Oregon, the paper reported.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the time Martin is doing south of the Columbia was related to the 42 charges he was hit with last May by Wasco County.

That’s where the case began in late December 2016 after Oregon State Police wildlife troopers investigating a string of headless bucks shot and left on winter range near Mt. Hood matched a trail cam photo of a truck with one spotted in The Dalles and pulled it over.

Inside were Haynes and Martin, and a mountain of evidence was ultimately found on their phones and homes.

WILLIAM J. HAYNES AND ERIK C. MARTIN. (WDFW)

The case became public in spring 2017 after search warrants were served at suspects’ houses and antlers along with videos showing multiple bears and bobcats being pursued by hounds surfaced. Hound hunting has been outlawed for 20 years.

“They just want to see stuff die. It’s a sick and twisted mentality; you and I will not get it,” then WDFW Deputy Chief Mike Cenci told Northwest Sportsman. “It’s so shocking. Most human beings wouldn’t do this.”

Charges have also been filed in other counties in Oregon and Washington.

Huge hat tip to all of the county prosecutors who are dedicating resources to working these poachers and other suspects through the court system — thank you, it is very much appreciated by law-abiding sportsmen.

Headlines

More Details On Minter Hatchery Chinook Loss Emerge At Senate Hearing

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State senators learned new details about efforts to overcome the backup generator failure that led to the deaths of an estimated 6 million fall Chinook at a South Sound salmon hatchery during a December windstorm.

ACCORDING TO A WDFW PRESENTATION BEFORE THE STATE SENATE AGRICULTURE, WATER, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS COMMITTEE’S THIS IS THE GENERATOR THAT FAILED TO START AT MINTER CREEK HATCHERY DURING A DECEMBER WINDSTORM POWER OUTAGE, LEADING TO THE DEATHS OF OVER 6 MILLION FALL CHINOOK. (WDFW)

During a work session this afternoon before members of Sen. Kevin Van De Wege’s Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee, three high-ranking WDFW officials again called the incident at Minter Creek Hatchery unacceptable and said that two investigations were launched this week into what happened.

They also said that the comanagers had been “wonderful to work with” in trying to backfill the loss with 2.75 million kings from two tribal hatcheries, along with fish from state and a technical college facilities.

The WDFW staffers who went before senators were Director Kelly Susewind, Fish Program Deputy Assistant Director Kelly Cunningham and Hatchery Division Manager Eric Kinne.

THREE HIGH-RANKING WDFW OFFICIALS SPEAK BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE. (TVW)

They described the events and fallout of Friday, Dec. 14 when around 5:30 p.m. the power went out at Minter as high winds raked the area.

According to them, when the 350 kVA generator didn’t immediately fire up, staffers soon figured out that batteries on the large diesel-fired power source weren’t charging.

So they yanked batteries out of vehicles at the hatchery to use instead to try to get water flowing again into the dozens of incubation trays where the young Chinook were rearing.

While salmon eggs can get by for awhile without flowing water, not so for the inch-long fish.

But when that failed too, crews discovered a cable on the generator had burned up.

After alerting WDFW’s “phone tree” and even calling the local fire department for help, a hatchery employee drove to a nearby auto parts store to buy cables and batteries.

Crews ultimately were able to get a small pump running and water again flowing into the trays before the generator was finally started more than two and a half hours after the power went out.

But by then then bulk of the damage was one.

The fish in the trays were poured into ponds at the hatchery and there’s a chance that some actually survived, but WDFW won’t know until they reach the “swim up” stage.

They said that 1.75 million of the replacement fish would be released in the Deschutes River, the other 1 million at Minter Creek.

Meanwhile, contractors began two separate investigations this week, one from an engineering standpoint about why the generator failed, and the other whether adequate emergency procedures were in place and how hatchery workers responded.

The three WDFW officials said they plan to revise statewide protocols and use the results of the investigation “to hold ourselves accountable for the tragic loss of the fish.”

The details on Minter were part of their larger presentation on state hatchery salmon and steelhead production, including how output has decreased since the late 1980s due to reforms, ESA listings and budget cutbacks, and the 24 million-salmon increase for orcas that WDFW hopes lawmakers will fund during this year’s legislative session.

Built into this biennium’s budget proposal from Gov. Inslee is also $75.7 million to upgrade the state’s hatcheries.

After hearing about the disaster at Minter, Sen. Christine Rolfes asked if backup generators had been checked at WDFW’s other facilities.

Cunningham answered that they are all tested monthly, but said that by chance one did fail to start at one in the Columbia Basin during a test the day before Minter’s wouldn’t kick in.

And worryingly, “full load” tests — meaning all power is turned off and everything has to be run on the generator — aren’t done at some because the systems and equipment are so untrusted, senators were told.

Headlines

Washington Salmon Recovery Not Getting Needed Funding — State Agency

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THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE WASHINGTON RECREATION AND CONSERVATION OFFICE

Despite two decades of efforts to recover them, wild salmon are still declining—and a report released today by the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office stresses that adequate funding is needed to turn the tide on the iconic species’ future.

THE COVER OF WASHINGTON’S JUST RELEASED “STATE OF SALMON IN WATERSHEDS” REPORT. (RCO)

In the past 10 years, regional recovery organizations received only a fraction—16 percent—of the $4.7 billion documented funding needed for critical salmon recovery projects, the report sites.

““We must all do our part to protect our state’s wild salmon,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “As we face a changing climate, growing population and other challenges, now is the time to double down on our efforts to restore salmon to levels that sustain them, our fishing industry and the communities that rely on them. Salmon are crucial to our future and to the survival of beloved orca whales.”

The newly released State of Salmon in Watersheds report and interactive Web site show Washington’s progress in trying to recover salmon and steelhead protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Web site also features the office’s updated Salmon Data Portal, which puts real-time salmon recovery data and maps at the fingertips of salmon recovery professionals and the public.

Some findings from the report include the following:

·         In most of the state, salmon are below recovery goals set in federally approved recovery plans. Washington is home to 33 genetically distinct populations of salmon and steelhead, 15 of which are classified as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Of the 15, 8 are not making progress or are declining, 5 are showing signs of progress but still below recovery goals and 2 are approaching recovery goals.

·         Commercial and recreational fishing have declined significantly because of fewer fish and limits on how many fish can be caught to protect wild salmon. Harvest of coho salmon has fallen from a high of nearly 3 million in 1976 to fewer than 500,000 in 2017, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The harvest of Chinook salmon has followed the same downward trend, with about 970,000 Chinook caught in 1973 compared to about 550,000 in 2017.

The news is not all bleak.

·         Summer chum in the Hood Canal are increasingly strong and are nearing the recovery goal.

·         Fall Chinook populations in the Snake River are showing signs of progress, thanks largely to improvements in hatchery management, passage at dams along the Columbia and Snake Rivers and habitat restoration work.

“It’s not that we don’t know how to recover salmon,” said Kaleen Cottingham, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office, home of the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, which created the report and Web site. “We know what needs to be done, and we have the people in place to do the hard work. We just haven’t received the funding necessary to do what’s required of us.”

“Salmon recovery projects that can make the biggest impact now are often larger scale, engage many jurisdictions and depend on collaboration and significant funding from state, federal and private sources to make them happen,” said Phil Rockefeller, chair of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, which distributes state funding for salmon recovery.

The report also calls for stronger land use regulations and more enforcement of those regulations to protect shorelines and improve fish passage and water quality.

Recovery efforts benefit more than just salmon. According to the report, restored rivers provide clean and reliably available water for drinking and irrigation, reduce flood risk and support outdoor recreation and the state’s economy. Salmon restoration funding since 1999 has created jobs and resulted in more than $1 billion in total economic activity, the report states.

The report also notes changes that need to be made to improve salmon recovery, including addressing climate change, removing barriers so fish can reach more habitat, reducing salmon predators and better integrating harvest, hatchery, hydropower and habitat actions.

The report also outlines steps people can take in their everyday lives to contribute to salmon recovery, including conserving water, safely disposing of unused prescription drugs and keeping up on car maintenance to prevent oil and fuel leaks.

“It’s going to take all of us coming together to make a change for salmon and our future,” Cottingham said.

Learn more at stateofsalmon.wa.gov.

Headlines

Former WDFW Director, NWIFC’s Chair Take Aim At SeaTimes Salmon-Orca Column

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You know you’ve done something bad when Phil Anderson has to get involved.

Phil, in case you haven’t heard of him, is the retired director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and currently chairs the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

PHIL ANDERSON. (WDFW)

One day several years ago now when he was still WDFW’s chief head honcho I got an unexpected call from Mr. Anderson about an agency budget blog I’d inadvisedly written. Very shortly thereafter we agreed to a mutually beneficial solution; I’d spike my misinformed post.

This week it’s The Seattle Times that Phil’s reaching out to.

He and Lorraine Loomis, chairwoman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, have published an opinion piece in response to that column earlier this month entitled “In the great debate to save the orcas, the apex predator is missing.”

In it, author Danny Westneat and his primary source Kurt Beardlee of the Wild Fish Conservancy essentially argue that salmon fishing should be shut down to provide as many Chinook salmon to starving southern resident killer whales

“It’s easy to see how cutting the fisheries’ take in half, or eliminating it entirely on a short-term emergency basis, could provide a big boost. Bigger than anything else we could do short term,” Beardslee told Westneat.

Lack of Chinook is a key reason our orcas are struggling, but it’s not as simple as that black-and-white take on how to help the “blackfish.”

Respond Anderson and Loomis: “If recovering chinook salmon were as easy as drastically cutting or eliminating fisheries, we would have achieved our goal a long time ago.”

WDFW’S RON WARREN AND NWIFC’S LORRAINE LOOMIS SPEAK DURING A RARE BUT WELL-ATTENDED STATE-TRIBAL PLENARY SESSION LAST APRIL ON WESTERN WASHINGTON SALMON. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

They point out that “at great cost,” state and tribal fisheries have already been cut as much as 90 percent and that shutting down fishing would “at best result in a 1 percent increase of chinook salmon available for southern resident killer whales.”

Loomis and Anderson point to a better approach than Beardslee’s kill-the-goose-laying-the-golden-eggs manifesto — cooperation across all sectors via the newly formed “Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition.”

“There are no more easy answers,” they write. “We are left with the hard work of restoring disappearing salmon habitat, enhancement of hatchery production, and addressing out-of-control seal and sea lion populations.”

If you’re a cheapskate like myself, you only get so many views of Fairview Fannie pieces a month, but Anderson and Loomis’s response is worth burning one on.

And then check out what Puget Sound Angler’s Ron Garner posted on his Facebook page about this as well.

They’re both highly educational as we fight to save orcas, Chinook and fishing.

(For extra credit, I also took on that column here.)

Headlines

Shutdown Affecting Steelhead Season Planning, Sea Lion Management — Even A Clam Dig

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Add Northwest steelheading, sea lion management and a three-day razor clam dig at a national park to the list of things being impacted by the partial US government shutdown, now in its record 26th day.

A NOAA technical consultation on Washington’s Skagit-Sauk spring season and the federal agency’s work approving Idaho’s fisheries permit are on pause, while any new pinnipeds showing up at Willamette Falls get a free pass to chow down, and the Jan. 19-21 Kalaloch Beach clam opener has been rescinded.

Let’s break things down by state.

OREGON

While ODFW can still remove previously identified California sea lions that gather at the falls and in the lower Clackamas to eat increasingly imperiled wild steelhead, new ones must first be reported to a federal administrator who has been furloughed since before Christmas due to the shutdown, according to a Courthouse News Service story.

A CALIFORNIA SEA LION THROWS A SALMONID IN SPRING 2016 AT WILLAMETTE FALLS. (ODFW)

And as native returns begin to build, a newly arrived CSL there won’t face the consequences — at least until the shutdown over the border wall is ended.

“If it carries on it will be a bigger impact on the spring Chinook run,” ODFW’s Shaun Clements told Courthouse News. “Relative to the winter steelhead, they’re in a much better place, but extinction risk for spring Chinook is still pretty high.”

So far four CSLs have been taken out since the state agency got the go-ahead in November to remove up to 93 a year. ODFW had anticipated killing 40 in the first four months of 2019.

IDAHO

Over in Idaho, what seemed like plenty of time early last month for NOAA to (finally) review and approve the Gem State’s steelhead fishing plan before mid-March is shrinking.

STEELHEAD ANGLERS FISH IDAHO’S CLEARWATER RIVER AT LEWISTON. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

“There is about a month of cushion between the expiration of the agreement and when we first expected the permit (to be completed),” IDFG’s Ed Schriever told Eric Barker of the Lewiston Tribune. “We know the longer (the shutdown) goes on, the narrower the window becomes on the cushion that existed prior to the shutdown. We can only hope resolution comes quickly and those folks get back to work on our permit.”

The work was made necessary by environmental groups’ lawsuit threat that resulted in an agreement between the state, a community-angler group and the litigants that provided cover to continue fishing season through either when NOAA finished processing the plan or March 15.

Schriever told Barker that if the shutdown continues, he would probably ask the parties to the agreement for an extension.

WASHINGTON

And in Washington, there’s now an agonizing amount of uncertainty for what seemed like would be a slam-dunk steelhead fishery.

DRIFT BOAT ANGLERS MAKE THEIR WAY DOWN THE SAUK RIVER DURING APRIL 2018’S FIRST-IN-NINE-SPRINGS FISHERY. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

Last month, WDFW along with tribal comanagers sent a plan for a three-month-long catch-and-release season for wild winter-runs on the North Sound’s Skagit and Sauk Rivers under the same constraints as last April’s NOAA-approved 12-day fishery.

Before the shutdown, NOAA had some “relatively minor matters” to clear up, so a meeting was scheduled for last week “to resolve the technical questions,” according to a Doug Huddle column for our February issue.

“We have approval to conduct the fishery. We have a set of conditions we have to fulfill as part of that approval. We think we have provided everything asked,” said district biologist Brett Barkdull.

But with NOAA out of the office it will come down to an upcoming policy call “one way or the other” by higher-ups at WDFW based on a risk assessment.

Out on Washington’s outer coast, WDFW is scrubbing three days of razor clam digging at Kalaloch Beach over the Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend.

With federal techs and park rangers furloughed, WDFW had planned on having its staff on the beach to monitor clammers as well as station game wardens on Highway 101, where they do have enforcement authority, if need be.

“We are closing Kalaloch beach to razor clam digging in response to a request by Olympic National Park,” said Dan Ayres, agency coastal shellfish manager, in a press release. “Olympic National Park staff are not available to help ensure a safe and orderly opening in the area.”

Digs will go on as planned this Thursday-Monday during the various openers at Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis Beaches.

Ayres said that WFDW and the park will consider other openers at Kalaloch to make up for the lost harvest opportunity.

Elsewhere, while Pacific Fishery Management Council staffers are in their offices, that’s not the case for federal participants in the 2019 North of Falcon salmon-season-setting process.

US contributions to an international report on commercial West Coast hake fishing as well as other work handled by researchers at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle is on hold.

A meeting on highly migratory species and another with members of a statistical review committee have been cancelled, though at the moment a third reviewing 2018 salmon fisheries and which is part of the annual North of Falcon season-setting process is still a go.

And NOAA survey ships have reportedly also been tied up to the dock.

Headlines

SW WA, Columbia Fishing Report (1-16-19)

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THE FOLLOWING WDFW FISHING REPORTS WERE TRANSMITTED BY BRYANT SPELLMAN AND PAUL HOFFARTH

Washington Columbia River and Tributary Fishing Report Jan 16, 2019

Sturgeon:

Bonneville Pool- 45 bank anglers released 1 sublegal sturgeon.  36 boats/102 rods kept 8 legal sturgeon and released 1 legal, 151 sublegal and 2 oversize sturgeon.

The Dalles Pool- Closed for retention.  No report.

John Day Pool- 17 bank anglers had no catch.  27 boats/56 rods released 5 sublegal sturgeon.

TROY BRODERS PREPARES TO CAST OUT FOR STEELHEAD. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

Walleye:

Bonneville Pool- 1 boat/2 rods had no catch.

The Dalles Pool- No report.

John Day Pool- 11 boats/25 rods kept 12 walleye and released 1 walleye.

Salmon/Steelhead:

Columbia River Tributaries

Grays River – 4 bank anglers had no catch.

Elochoman River – 33 bank anglers kept 6 steelhead and released 1 steelhead.  1 boats/2 rods had no catch.

Abernathy Creek – 2 bank anglers had no catch.

Germany Creek – 7 bank anglers kept 1 steelhead.

Cowlitz River – I-5 Br downstream: 12 bank rods had no catch.

Above the I-5 Br:  3 bank rods had no catch.

Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered two coho adults, 23 coho jacks and nine winter-run steelhead adults during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.

During the past week, Tacoma Power released five coho jacks into Lake Scanewa in Randle.

Tacoma Power released two coho adults, 22 coho jacks and eight winter-run steelhead adults into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton. They also released two coho jacks at the Franklin Bridge release site in Packwood.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 9,520 cubic feet per second on Monday, Jan. 14. Water visibility is 11 feet and the water temperature is 44.6 degrees F. River flows could change at any time so boaters and anglers should remain alert for this possibility.

East Fork Lewis River – 34 bank anglers had no catch.  2 boats/4 rods released 1 steelhead.

Salmon Creek – 34 bank anglers had no catch.

 

  • Tributaries not listed: Creel checks not conducted.

 

Trout Plants and stocking schedules:

McNary Steelhead Sport Fishery

This past week WDFW staff interviewed 16 boats with 5 hatchery steelhead harvested and 12 wild steelhead caught and released. Anglers averaged just over 1 steelhead per boat, 6.5 hours per fish including wild. The majority of the steelhead caught were A run but one B run fish was harvested and 6 wild were caught and released. 21 bank anglers were interviewed but no catch was reported.

Headlines

Steelheaders Now Required To Stop Fishing After First Keeper On SE WA Rivers

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THE FOLLOWING ARE EMERGENCY RULE CHANGE NOTICES FROM THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Eastern Washington steelhead fishery change

Action: Change the daily limit on steelhead to one hatchery fish. Anglers must stop fishing for steelhead once they reach the daily limit.

STEELHEADERS ON THE GRANDE RONDE AND OTHER SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON RIVERS WILL HAVE TO QUIT FISHING ONCE THEY RETAIN THEIR FIRST HATCHERY FISH, WDFW HAS ANNOUNCED. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

Effective date: Immediately through April 15, 2019.

Species affected: Steelhead.

Location:

Grande Ronde River: From mouth to the Washington/Oregon state line.

Touchet River: From the mouth to the confluence of the North and South Forks.

Tucannon River: From the mouth to the Tucannon Hatchery Road Bridge.

Walla Walla River: From the mouth to the Washington/Oregon state line.

Reason for action: The 2018 Columbia River forecasted return for upriver steelhead was 190,350. The U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met on Aug. 26 to review the A/B-Index steelhead passage at Bonneville Dam. TAC downgraded the total expected A/B-Index steelhead run size at Bonneville to 96,500. The run was adjusted again on Sept. 25 to a total of 92,800 A/B Index steelhead with 69,500 clipped and 28,300 unclipped fish. With continued concerns between co-managers for A run steelhead and impacts to wild fish, the department believes it is important to reduce daily limits to protect steelhead within the river network.

Additional information: All steelhead with unclipped adipose fins must be immediately released unharmed. In addition, anglers must use barbless hooks when fishing for steelhead.

Anglers should be sure to identify their catch, as chinook and coho salmon may be present during this fishery and are not open to harvest. Anglers cannot remove any chinook, coho or steelhead from the water if it is not retained as part of the daily bag limit. Anglers are reminded to refer to the 2018-19 Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet for other regulations, including possession limits and safety closures. Please continue to check emergency rules if you are planning to fish for steelhead within the affected area.

Information contact: Jeremy Trump, District 3 Fish Biologist (509) 382-1005

Snake River steelhead fishery change

Action: Changes the daily limit on steelhead to one hatchery fish. Anglers must stop fishing for steelhead once they reach the daily limit

Effective date: Immediately through March 31, 2019.

Species affected: Steelhead.

Location:  Snake River from the mouth (Burbank to Pasco railroad bridge at Snake River mile 1.25) to the Oregon State line (approximately seven miles upstream of the mouth of the Grande Ronde River)

Reason for action: The 2018 Columbia River forecasted return for upriver steelhead was 190,350. The U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met on Aug. 26 to review the A/B-Index steelhead passage at Bonneville Dam. TAC downgraded the total expected A/B-Index steelhead run size at Bonneville to 96,500. The run was adjusted again on Sept. 25 to a total of 92,800 A/B Index steelhead with 69,500 clipped and 28,300 unclipped fish. With continued concerns between co-managers for A run steelhead and impacts to wild fish, the Department believes it is important to reduce limits to protect steelhead within the Snake River.

Additional information:  All steelhead with unclipped adipose fins must be immediately released unharmed. In addition, anglers must use barbless hooks when fishing for steelhead and. Anglers should be sure to identify their catch, as chinook and coho salmon may be present during this fishery and are not open to harvest. Anglers cannot remove any chinook, coho or steelhead from the water if not retained as part of the daily bag limit. Anglers are reminded to refer to the 2018/2019 Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet for other regulations, including possession limits, safety closures, etc.

Please continue to check emergency rules if you are planning to fish for steelhead within the affected area.

Information contact: Jeremy Trump, District 3 Fish Biologist (509) 382-1005

Headlines

Idaho Hunter Who Saved Another Awarded IDFG’s ‘Doing Good’ Coin

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THE FOLLOWING IS A IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME STORY BY BRADLEY LOWE

Anglers, hunters, and trappers throughout Idaho do some pretty remarkable things in a given year. Most of those acts, unfortunately, go unnoticed. What does get noticed are the unethical behaviors like the indignant display of harvested animals, waste of game meat, abuse of motorized vehicles, shot up signs, and other unsportsmanlike conduct that casts a dark shadow on the vast majority of well-behaved sportsmen and women.

IDAHO UPLAND BIRD HUNTER MIKE STEWART (RIGHT) ACCEPTS THE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME’S “CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF DOING GOOD” COIN FROM STATE WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST BRANDON FLACK, THE FIRST AWARDED THROUGH THE PROGRAM IN IDFG’S SOUTHWEST REGION. STEWART LIKELY SAVED THE LIFE OF A SHIVERING HUNTER DESPERATE TO FIND HIS DOG AFTER IT JUMPED INTO AN ICED-OVER SLOUGH IN SOUTHWEST IDAHO. (IDFG)

In an effort to shine a brighter light on the good deeds, Idaho Fish and Game’s Southwest Region is expanding on a recognition program first started in the Magic Valley in 2012, Caught in the Act of Doing Good.

The program aims to reward sportsmen and women whose actions promote good sportsmanship and reflect behavior or ethics that exemplify the model sportsman with a minted metal coin. The coin is intended to be an immediate and tangible token of appreciation that holds some significance to the recipient, providing a lasting memento for a selfless act that can be shared for many years.

(IDFG)

The coin’s image is based on a pen and ink drawing Cowboy and Baby Bird, which was drawn by former Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer Bill Pogue in 1975. This image captures, not only the spirit of the program, but the dedication of professionals in the field of protecting Idaho’s wildlife and fisheries resources.

The first recipient of a coin in the Southwest Region is Mike Stewart, of Bruneau, who came to the aid of a 72-year-old hunter on Dec. 19. Stewart, having heard a great deal of commotion coming from the hunter, came to investigate. The hunter found himself in a terrible circumstance in which his beloved dog had jumped into a slough at the C.J. Strike Wildlife Management Area to retrieve a pheasant. In so doing, the dog presumably became trapped under ice.

The hunter, not having actually witnessed his dog jumping into the slough, due to heavy vegetation, was up to his chest in freezing water calling and blowing his whistle frantically. When Stewart arrived on the scene, the hunter was stumbling and nearly incoherent. Stewart coaxed the hunter out of the water, helped him navigate the long walk back to his truck, turned on the truck’s heater, got the hunter out of his wet clothes, and was trying to talk the hunter into allowing him to call an ambulance as he had begun to shake uncontrollably.

Through Stewart’s efforts, the hunter began to warm up and recovered to the point that he was able to drive himself home. In Stewart’s absence, it is very likely, if not certain, that the condition of the hunter would have deteriorated and may have been fatal.

It is this type of compassionate behavior that the Caught in the Act of Doing Good program intends to reward. Thank you, Mike, for personifying good sportsmanship.

Headlines

Carpenter Elected As Chair Of Washington Fish-Wildlife Commission; Baker Vice Chair

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Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission has a new chair and vice chair.

Larry Carpenter was unanimously elected by his fellow members over the weekend to head up the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s citizen oversight panel, while Barbara Baker will be its vice chair.

LARRY CARPENTER. (WDFW)

Carpenter, who hails from Mt. Vernon, owned Master Marine and has been on the board since 2011, takes over from Brad Smith of Bellingham. He is known as a staunch advocate for fishing and hunting.

Smith, the longest serving member of the commission, nominated Carpenter and was seconded by Dave Graybill of Leavenworth.

According to WDFW’s Tami Lininger, Carpenter’s appointment to the commission has also been extended through Oct. 31, 2020.

Baker, of Olympia and the former clerk of the state House of Representatives, was appointed to the commission in January 2017, making her leap into the vice chairmanship relatively fast compared to others in recent years.

The previous two vice chairs — Smith and Carpenter — were on the commission four years before being elected to the seat.

Elections take place every other year.

Baker was nominated by Don McIsaac of Hockinson and seconded by Bob Kehoe of Seattle. She too was elected unanimously.

IN THIS TVW SCREENGRAB, WASHINGTON FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSIONER BARBARA BAKER SPEAKS BEFORE THE SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES AND PARKS COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING ON HER APPOINTMENT TO THE PANEL, SET TO RUN AT LEAST THROUGH 2022. (TVW)

Other members of the commission include Kim Thorburn of Spokane and Jay Holzmiller of Anatone.

The ninth seat has been vacant since Jay Kehne of Omak resigned last summer to spend more time with his family and afield.

Headlines

‘Next Steps’ In Columbia Salmon Reforms Subject Of ODFW-WDFW Commissioners Meeting; Open To Public

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THE FOLLOWING ARE PRESS RELEASES FROM THE WASHINGTON AND OREGON DEPARTMENTS OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

WDFW

The public is invited to attend a meeting scheduled this month by members of the Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife commissions to discuss next steps in reforming salmon management on the Columbia River.

GUIDE BOB REES NETS A FALL CHINOOK AT THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA. THE “NEXT STEPS” IN SALMON REFORMS ON THE BIG RIVER WILL BE DISCUSSED BY FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSIONERS FROM BOTH STATES IN SALEM. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

The meeting is set for Jan. 17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Room, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. S.E. in Salem, Ore. The public is welcome to observe the discussion, but will not have an opportunity to comment during the meeting.

The Joint-State Columbia River Salmon Fishery Policy Review Committee, which includes three members of each state’s commission, was formed to renew efforts to achieve management goals for Columbia River fisheries endorsed by both states in 2013.

The three delegates to the workgroup from the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission are commissioners David Graybill from Chelan County, Bob Kehoe from King County, and Don McIsaac from Clark County. The commission is a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

WDFW recently finalized its five-year performance review of the 2013 fishery reform policy, which called for reforms ranging from requirements that anglers use barbless hooks to a phase-out of commercial gillnets in the main channel of the Columbia River. While the performance review noted progress on some issues, expectations have not been met in a variety of other key areas, said Ryan Lothrop, WDFW Columbia River policy coordinator.

“This new effort is designed to find common ground on strategies for improving fishery management in the Columbia River,” Lothrop said. “Having different policies in joint waters of the Columbia River makes it very difficult to manage and implement fisheries.”

Washington’s Comprehensive Evaluation of the Columbia River Basin Salmon Management Policy is available on WDFW’s website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02029/.

Lothrop, who will staff Washington’s commissioners, said the workgroup’s first task will be to establish a schedule for future meetings. The panel will then discuss issues addressed in the policy review, focusing initially on strategies that could to be incorporated into fishing regulations for the 2019 season.

To take effect, any new proposals endorsed by the workgroup would require approval by the full fish and wildlife commissions in each state, Lothrop said.

“The group doesn’t have a lot of time to discuss changes for 2019,” Lothrop said. “The season-setting process for this year’s salmon fisheries gets underway in mid-March, so that’s the focus for the near term.”

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ODFW

A joint workgroup of commissioners from the Oregon and Washington fish and wildlife commissions will meet to discuss policies affecting Columbia River salmon fisheries. The workgroup includes three members from each state’s commission.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Commission room at the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Headquarters, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. SE, Salem. The meeting is open to attendance by the public, but no public testimony will be taken.

The workgroup meeting follows a November 2018 joint meeting of the two full Commissions to discuss differences between the current policies of each state. The workgroup’s first task will be to establish a schedule and process for future meetings. The workgroup will then begin discussion of issues, initially focusing on finding common ground for 2019 fishing seasons.

The workgroup meetings are not decision-making meetings. The workgroups will report back to their full Commissions, who will ultimately consider any changes to their respective policies.