Wednesday December 14, 2022
KXRO —
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) released its finalized Coastal Steelhead Proviso Implementation Plan.
The plan intends to advance steelhead fishery management in the river systems of Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and the coastal Olympic Peninsula.
The plan was developed in response to the Legislature’s 2021-23 budget proviso following declines in coastal steelhead population viability and associated reductions in angling opportunities.
“The plan provides a path for implementing key strategies and policies to manage these populations, including an adaptive management approach that will, if funded, provide sustainable angling opportunities and protect coastal steelhead in the long-term,” said Kelly Cunningham, WDFW fish program director.
The plan includes guidelines and information about recreational fishery regulations, monitoring and evaluation, hatchery operations, habitat restoration, and economic vitality at coastwide and river-specific scales.