The Conservation Angler2017 in Review, and What's on the Horizon

Our Mission: The Conservation Angler advocates for wild fish andfisheries. We work to protect, conserve and restore wild steelhead,salmon, trout and char throughout their Pacific range using all legal,administrative and political means to prevent their extirpation and tofoster a long-term recovery of wild stocks to fishable and harvestableabundance.

Learn more about our efforts at www.theconservationangler.org

The Conservation Angler: Year In ReviewTCA

Overview

River Historic Present DeclineColumbia/Snake 2,000,000+ 30,000 (1,000 B-run) -98%Stillaguamish 100,000 900 -99.1%Puget Sound 600,000 15,000 -97.5%Hoh 50,000 3,500 -93%Queets 60,000 4,500 -93%San Juaquin 1,000,000 -0- -100%Eel 150,000 1,000 -99.3%Thompson 50,000 133 -99.7%Dean River 30,000 4,000 -86.7%Kvachina (1994/Present) 2,000 10,500 +525%

A review of the status of wild salmon and steelhead underscores the fact that past and currentmanagement practices are failing. Over vast stretches of their native ranges (Alaska and Russian FarEast exempted) wild salmon and steelhead have already been extirpated or are on the verge of near-term extinction. Consider the current status of wild steelhead in several representative, iconicsteelhead rivers:

By any objective analysis, it is plain that if current practices are continued, most US Lower 48 andsouthern BC wild populations of steelhead will be extinct in the near future. Radical changes to theprevailing management paradigm must be adopted quickly. We are a highly strategic and experiencedorganization dedicated to that proposition.

The Conservation Angler has demonstrated a different management paradigm in Kamchatka with ourRussian partners (Moscow State University, Russian Academy of Sciences and Russian Ministry ofEnvironment). On the three demonstration rivers under our direction, wild steelhead populations haveincreased 500% to over 1000% in twenty years. We have the experience and proven management/recovery strategies, and are working strategically to protect these fisheries for the future.

We know what’s wrong in North America and what needs to be done to recover our diminished wildsteelhead. TCA is committed to changing the paradigms through engagement across a broadspectrum of efforts to:

-Devise effective management regimes verified by previous field experience (KSP/Hoh)

-Participate and raise timely public awareness of public forums and activities that establish managementpolicies and set fishing seasons through state rulemaking, the Columbia River Compact and Federal ESAregulations.

-Ensure agencies follow the law and administrative rules (with improved transparency and compliance)

-Initiate legal action where necessary (Willamette lawsuit, Puget Sound steelhead management and ESAprotection for Columbia River wild fish).

-Increase public outreach and awareness through traditional media sources like The Osprey, groundbreakingTCA staff articles and reports in respected publications, and sharing of timely news and compelling calls-to-action to our supporters and the community-at-large through various online venues.

2017 Report

Our Team

Peter W. Soverel, Founder and PresidentPete has spent the past four decades focused on creative science andconservation efforts. He founded both TCA and the Wild Salmon Center,and is a board member emeritus at WSC. Pete helps oversee and guideTCA's conservation efforts.

Dave Moskowitz, Executive DirectorDave is a conservationist, environmental lawyer, lobbyist and educatorwho has spent decades working on conservation issues. Prior to his roleat TCA, Dave was co-founder and executive director at the DeschutesRiver Alliance.

Bill Bakke, Director of Science and ConservationBill Bakke has spent his life advocating for wild fish. Bill has worked forthe Columbia River Fisheries Council and Columbia River Inter-TribalFish Commission and founded Oregon Trout, the FishCons Coalition andthe Native Fish Society. Bill has written over 100 articles on fishconservation and has been featured in numerous books.

Bill McMillan, ArchivistWriter, Conservationist, Citizen scientist. Bill helped found the NativeFish Society and served as board chair for ten years. Bill has exploredrivers throughout Washington and Oregon, pioneering snorkelinginvestigations, his exhaustive findings supporting his exhaustivehistorical research efforts. He has authored two books on angling.

Alex Lovett-Woodsum, Development and CommunicationsAlex has been an avid angler all her life, and has dedicated much of hercareer to giving back to the fisheries she loves. After several yearsworking for Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, Alex started a consultancyfocused on conservation and fly fishing. Alex is also working with Nowor Neverglades, Tail Fly Fishing, and Fay Ranches, among others.

One of TCA's greatest assets is its staff and advisors, who collectively providesignificant salmon and steelhead conservation and NGO experience to driveour efforts.

TCA

Programs and InitiativesThe Conservation Angler advocates for the protection, scientific study, and conservation of iconicwild anadromous fish populations and the rivers in which they thrive. Our numerous initiatives andprojects seek to change disastrous current management paradigms and help vulnerable fishpopulations recover. The following pages detail our efforts–our goals, accomplishments to date,current challenges faced in different areas, and our plans for the future.

We still have much to do, and as you will see from these reports, there are many ongoing threatsto these fish and rivers.Wehave theknowledgeand tools to impact changeandhelppreserve thesefisheries for the future, and in some cases, bring them back from the brink of extinction. To stay upto date, visit our website news section or Facebook page, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter,and tell your friends about our efforts and topical issues. Together we can save these fisheries, butwe have to act now.

Hoh River Wild Steelhead ProjectTCA is extremely concerned about the rapidly declining wild steelhead populations on Washington’sOlympic Peninsula Coast, particularly the Hoh and Queets, where tribal harvests have drivenpopulations spiraling downward. These wild populations are clearly trending towards extirpation.

In spite of these population trends, earlier this year, Seafood Watch (considered an authority onseafood sustainability) recommended tribally-caught steelhead as a “good alternative” (i.e.sustainable) seafood choice. TCA helped coordinate a national call-to-action to this listing, causingSeafoodWatch tomoveHohRiver steelhead to the “avoid” category and securing a commitment fromwholesalers to not purchase these fish–a small win but onewhich underscores TCA’s agility and abilityto secure favorable conservation outcomes.

As previously reported, our initiative causedWDFW to establish a long-term study program tomonitorHohRiverwild steelhead,modeled, inpart, onourKSPprogram.Current partners areWDFWandTroutUnlimited. In 2016-2017, the program:

-Acquired a specialized sonar to count adult steelhead

-Conducted site surveys to determine the best location for the sonar and a smolt trap

-Collected biological samples from adult steelhead using volunteers (guides) to test feasibility of thebiological data collection model. See full report from our WDFW partner, Mara Zimmerman below

The 2017-2018 program will expand upon this work. We are very excited about the public-privateprogram integrating WDFW personnel, volunteers and state and private financing. Future work willinclude adult and juvenile sampling to help detail the life history and genetic profiles for Hoh Riversteelhead.

2017 Report

ZIMMERMAN HOH RIVER REPORT?? Unclear whichparts we want to include but I set aside a page for it

Columbia Basin Initiative2017 wild steelhead returns to the Columbia/Snake are the lowest since 1997, and among the lowestin history for wild B-run steelhead with only 800 adults returning to Bonneville Dam. These numbers arefar below the levels when wild Columbia/Snake steelhead were listed as threatened under the ESA in1997.The2018outlook isequallygrim,withpooroceanconditionspersisting.StateandFederal fisheriesmanagers, aware of the grim forecast, only implemented moderate conservation measures oncommercial and sport fisheries, establishing few closures while allowing chinook and coho angling inthermal sanctuaries. TCA participated actively in the process that establishes and authorizes fisheriesvia the Columbia River Compact(CRC). This joint agency management process lacks transparency andis often indifferent to public input. Agency staff, familiar with the models used to forecast returns oranalyze the impacts of harvest, did not once clearly describe the scientific basis, set of assumptions norcritical uncertainties of themodels used during regular and frequent in-season adjustments. As amatterof practice, memoranda supporting the agency action arrived after the meeting convened.

If the current management practices continue, TCA believes this process will result in the complete lossof wild B-run Snake River steelhead life history within the next three years. TCA is evaluating itsadministrative and legal options to prevent this result and to ensure the survival and recovery of wildColumbia/Snake salmon and steelhead.

TCAwas the only conservation organization fully engaged in this process during 2017, attending 41 out43 scheduled CRC hearings and teleconferences since August 2016. TCA committed to participate inthis process in order to speak on behalf of the wild steelhead and salmon and for our supporters whorefuse toallowColumbiaandSnakeRiverwildsteelhead togo thewayof thePassengerPigeonandotherwild steelhead who have been allowed to slip away, almost unnoticed.

A number of issues have arisen together to increase the opportunity to secure major changes affectingfishery management, hydro system operations and ultimately recovery of wild steelhead and salmonpopulations:

Columbia Basin Hydrosystem biological opinion (BiOp) ruling. The federal court again rejected thefederal BiOp (analysis ofmanagement actionswhichmust show that these actionspromote the recoveryof list Columbia/Snakewild stocks) as failing the test of the law. The court hasdirected federal authoritiesto conduct a full environmental impact analysis of recovery options to include removal of one or moreof the Lower Snake River dams. TCA is actively engaged in this process, whichwe hopewill finally resultin a series of substantial actions that will actually promote recovery based on what wild fish need tosuccessfully migrate and spawn.

US v. Oregon Harvest Management Agreement Renegotiation: NOAA Fisheries has just completed ananalysis of its role in the key harvest management policy framework that governs harvest between thestates and the Columbia and Snake River Treaty Tribes. TCA provided extensive comments throughoutthe process, and if, after review of the final environmental analysis, we find it inadequate, we will initiatelegal challenges in order to gain “a seat at the table” in what are essentially private negotiations betweenthe federal, tribal and state managers.

TCA has beenworking to uncover the basis for what appear to be substantial loses ofmigrating steelheadand salmon between each mainstem dam. Known as “conversion” or “inter-dam loss,” federal fishmanagers have collected and analyzed extensive and complex data regarding these alarming passagelosses, but have yet to implement any initial measures aimed at the likely causes of these losses, normeasures toaccount for these lost salmonandsteelheadas theymanageharvest, fishpassageor recoverymeasures. TCAsubmitted a Freedomof InformationAct request in lateMay that still has yet to be fullymet.We expect to finish our analysis of the documents this fall and winter.

TCA

Based upon dramatic recovery of wild, naturally spawning Osoyoos River sockeye, there is increasingevidence that wild-based recovery strategies promise amore effective pathway towards re-establishinghealthy, sustainable wild salmon and steelhead stocks. Regrettably, federal and state authoritiescontinue to resist such strategies. In 2015, over 400,000 wild sockeye and spring-summer chinook diedbefore spawning due to lethally high river temperatures in the Columbia and Snake Rivers. These fishwere lost because hydrosystem and fishery managers did not take decisive action in ordering releasesof life-saving colder waters to replenish drawn-down rivers and mainstem reservoirs. TCA is exploringlegal options under theCleanWater Act and certain state remedies that permit natural resource damageclaims for losses of wild fish due to pollution or neglect.

TCA is also aware of extensive discrepancies in the reported commercial landings which may be theresult of large scale under-reporting of landing/sales and a failure on the part of federal, tribal and stateenforcement agencies to ensure that sale of fish harvested in “compliance” with approved fish plans iscarefully monitored. Given the scarcity of somewild steelhead and salmon populations, monitoring andenforcement is more important than ever.

Puget Sound Wild Winter Steelhead Recovery ProjectPuget Sound wild steelhead populations are currently in decline, hovering at about 2-3% ofhistoric abundance, and are listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). TCA, incollaboration with other organizations including Wild Fish Conservancy and Wild SteelheadCoalition, has been engaged in a broad range of activities to promote recovery of wild PugetSound steelhead.

This project consists of interlocking initiatives that include forcing the adoption of conservationmanagement regimes; curbing poor hatchery practices; decreasing the impact of liberal anglingregulations; establishing the preeminence of wild fish in multiple watersheds, and where necessary,will resort to administrative and legal challenges to NOAA and WDFW.

Updates:

We have dramatically reduced hatchery steelhead releases, including a 12-year moratoriumprohibiting releases of Chambers Creek hatchery fish into the Skagit River.

We are actively promoting designation of representative wild steelhead gene banks (WSGB) in eachof themajorPugetSoundpopulationsgroups.So far,WDFWdesignated theNisqually andElwha riversas wild steelhead gene banks. In the absence of hatchery plants, wild Nisqually steelhead haveincreased from a low of 100-200 fish twenty years ago to 3,000+ currently. Quite incredibly, both ofthese rivers remain closed to even catch and release recreational angling while still staying open totribal fishing.

Meanwhile,WDFWhas refused to designate theSkagit as awild steelhead genebank notwithstandingthat it is currently free of hatchery fish with a rapidly expanding wild steelhead population. As with theNisqually, the Skagit remains closed to recreational steelhead angling. SecuringWSGB designation isa key TCA objective for 2017/2018. We anticipate that this will devolve into a major battle, perhapsincluding administrative and legal challenges.

2017 Report

TCA

Kamchatka Steelhead Project (KSP)History and Program InformationThe self-funding Kamchatka Steelhead Project is our flagship program and is the longest runningcooperative wild steelhead science and conservation project in the world. The knowledge gainedeach year from this groundbreaking research project is critical to our scientific understanding of wildsteelhead.The program is straightforward: through catch and release fly fishing, angler-sponsors collectbiological samples to support the project. Anglers and guides measure length/girth and determine thesex of the fish. Through statistical methodology, we are able to estimate total abundance andmortality. Since sponsors are the only anglers along 100 miles ofnearly pristine wild rivers, ourKamchatka program ins the best, and perhaps last, chance to full understand the populationstructure, life-history strategies, and migration patterns of wild rainbow trout, as well as the impact ofangling on those fish. This knowledge will be essential to recovery efforts around the world wherethese wild fish have been compromised by hatcheries, habitat degradation and angling over-exploitation. Perhaps we will even solve the mystery of why some rainbow trout turn into steelheadand some do not.

Lamzov Scholarship and PrizesTCA annually awards a four-year scholarship and four academic prizes for Kamchatkan students inmemory of Russian Fish Inspector/Enforcement officer, Sergey Lamzov, who was killed in the line ofduty on an anti-poaching patrol. Officer Lamzov participated in KSP field activities for many years asthe on-site representative of the Russian fisheries service.

PartnersWe co-direct this program with Moscow State University and our partners include the A.N. SevertsovInstitute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences; Russian Ministry of Environment;University of Montana; University of California, Davis; Wild Salmon Center; and WashingtonDepartment of Fish & Wildlife. The KSP is a specifically listed and approved program under Area V ofthe US-Russia agreement on the Environment. It is self-funding—a unique condition in the not-for-profit world. TCA and the Wild Salmon Center (WSC) have signed a long-term MOU, which providesfor annual participation by a WWS steelhead biologist.

TCA subsidizesWSCparticipation (+/- $14,000.00). TCA is also developing an in-depthwild steelheadgenetic analysis baseduponour extensivecollectionof biological sampleswithpartnersWDFW,WSC,Alaska Department of Fish & Wildlife and the University of California (Davis).

THUMBNAIL PHOTOS HERE PENDING FINAL LAYOUT

2017 ReportThe ResearchDuring the2017season,wecollectedsamples from429 landedsteelheadon the three riverswemanage.Based uponmark tag recapture rates, we estimate the total steelhead populations for these rivers to bethe following:

Snotalvyam: 7500-10,000 Kvachina: 8,000-12,000 Utkholok: 18,000-25,000

Note that these are intimate rivers flowing frommodest watersheds at the very outer limit of the speciesrange, exposed to an incredibly hostile environment–short growing season, brutally cold winters, andvery cold sea temperatures. These populations have expanded rapidly once they were provided theprotection from poaching that was established by our program, demonstrating the remarkableproductivity of wild stocks and the inherent ability of steelhead to rapidly recover abundance and lifehistory diversity if free from hatchery interactions and protected from harvest.

Which parts/graphs of KSP report do we want to include? I think it's too long to include all ofit, and looks like a lot of the data is from 2002?

TCA

2017: An Outstanding Year in KamchatkaThis year,weconducted fieldoperations fromSeptember23-October11, fully supportedby24sponsorsand staffed with four dedicated scientists. 2017 marked an exceptionally successful program. Weatherand river conditions were extremely favorable, which contributed to very high success rates. Steelheadabundance in the rivers under ourmanagement have to be experienced to be believed. On several days,individual sponsorshookedmore than ten fisheachday!Therewere literally steelheadbehindevery rock.Over 166 angler days, we collected samples (landed) from 429 steelhead, while hooking a total of 734fresh from-the-sea, wild steelhead. Over the course of the season, sponsor encounter rates in the threerivers were:

Snotalvayam: 2.8 steelhead/sponsor/day; average size – 13.4 lbs; largest – 20 lbsKvachina: 3.1 steelhead/sponsor/day; average size – 11.2 lbs; largest – 19 lbsUtkholok: 6.7 steelhead/sponsor/day; average size – 12.1 lbs; largest – 22.3 lbs

Theoutfittermadedramatic improvements to infrastructure leadingup to this season—fivenew jetboats,cabins, upgraded tents—to complement experienced and capable staff, guides and cooks. TCApurchased a new jetboat for dedicated use by the scientific participants, and shipping containers wereconverted into warm, insulated, comfortable cabins for sponsors.

STEVE PETTIT, Angler/Sponsor in 2017

What a trip! It couldn’t have gone any better. Theexperience at Utkholok camp was epic. Best way todescribe the adventure: jump into a time machine andgo back 250+ years (before white man had arrived onthe Northern Pacific Rim and started destroying all thenatural resources). Our little fishing camp was a thing ofbeauty. Looked like it came out of the stone-age buthad its modern-day amenities (like Wi-Fi). The fishingwas basically straightforward—if you had any knowledgeof where steelhead lie and how to present a fly youwere rewarded with a grab. What wasn’t straightforwardwas the size and fight of the steelhead! The four of us incamp landed 220 steelhead in our seven days offishing. Epic experience, in a land that time hasforgotten. I am lucky, beyond belief, to have beenfortunate enough to have been allowed to experiencethe Kamchatkan steelhead adventure. It will be a longtime for me to come to terms with just how special itwas!

2017 Report

JUSTIN MILLER, International Travel Destination Specialist, The Fly Shop

This was the best season I have been a part of in myyears of involvement with the Kamchatka SteelheadProject. Everything went smoothly from beginning toend, and conditions and fishing provided steelheadangling that is unmatched anywhere else on earth.The camps were top-notch, providing warm lodging,hot showers, good food, and fantastic staff! Theguides are experienced and the new boats andengines provide for a smooth fishing experience. Thescientific staff was helpful and informative, and theanglers enjoyed the opportunity to participate in theresearch.

In 2018, two camps will operate from mid-September to mid-October for three groups(Kvachina—8anglers;Utkholok—4anglers)while holding thecostsof fully tax-deductiblesponsorship to $9,995.00. As of the writing of this report, only two sponsorships areavailable for 2018. More information on the trip can be found on our website underConservation. Contact Pete Soverel soverel@wildsalmonrivers.org // 425 501 9851 (cell)right away to reserve your spot.

TCA

Public Education and Outreach

Public education, outreach and awareness are a focus for TCA, and thoseefforts grew substantially in 2017. Notable is our new website,www.theconservationangler.org and the ongoing publication of The Osprey:Journal of International Steelhead and Salmon Conservation. The Ospreyremains a groundbreaking and vital source of scientific and policy analysis onthe conservation of wild steelhead and salmon in the Pacific Northwest. TCAhas commissioned numerous articles and reports written this year by ouraccomplished staff, and published timely news and calls-to-action on our newwebsite. Read on for more detail.

THE OSPREYTCA is leading an effort to build a new future forthe influential The Osprey: Journal ofInternational Steelhead and SalmonConservation. The Osprey has been publishedthree times a year for the past 28 years. It isarguably the definitive publication on wildsteelhead and salmon conservation andmanagement and has a long record ofsubstantial achievement and influence. Theemergingpartnershiphasdevelopedamodel toengage other conservation organizations in athree-year program to expand the content,circulation and influence of The Osprey. Wehave secured commitments from a range oflike-minded conservation organizations. Ourkickoff meeting takes place in December 2017,and we plan to publish the first expanded issuebymid-2018. Visit our website to read the latestissues.

COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACHTo help make all of our programs andinitiatives more effective and morecompellingbyanengagedanglingpublic,TCA revamped our website and blog tomake itmuchmore interactive and timely.We now have a website that providesnews, calls-to-action, research reportsand information and much more. Inconjunction with this, we are focusingmore efforts on our social media andonline presence to keep TCA at theforefront of efforts that require publicinvolvement and action.

2017 Report

TCA in the NewsTCA prides itself on having staff and advisors that are go-to sources of knowledge when it comes tosteelhead and salmon recovery information and efforts. They have a wealth of information andexperience, andareoften tapped towriteandcontribute toarticlesand reports that importantlyhelp raisepublic awareness of these issues. Here is a selection of some notablemedia contributions from the TCAteam in 2017:

DAVE PLEASE SELECT 5-6 BEST ARTICLES OR NEWS MENTIONS AND SEND LINKS

Conservation Reports by Bill BakkeThese significant conservation reports are written and compiled by Bill Bakke, Director of Scienceand Conservation, who has been tracking, reading, synthesizing and reporting on emerging scientificresearch on anadromous fish for forty years. Through his abstracts and observations, he hasapplied real-world context to scientific findings and principles for fish managers and advocates alike.In the future, TCA will be archiving his reports. The following are his contributions from 2017:

COMPILING LIST

TCA

Essays by Bill McMillanTCA Archivist Bill McMillan is a groundbreaking angler, writer, conservationist and citizen-scientist whohelped found the Wild Fish Conservancy. He has compiled extensive observations and exhaustivehistorical research into a number of interesting and information books and reports. Here are some of hiscontributions from 2017:COMPILING LIST

In Conclusion

As you can see, we are undertaking serious and targeted efforts to help restoreand protect wild anadromous fish populations. We have established that we areup to the challenge and we get results because we are focused, persistent andnimble. We will not simply lament what we have lost, but will not forget it either. Wearewilling to tear down theobstacles towild fish recovery so that the fish themselvescan do the rest. Based upon our record of successes, and with your help, we areconfident that we will make meaningful progress conserving wild Pacific salmonand steelhead and creating a new conservation angling tradition for the newmillenium. Thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts.

2017 Report

Get Involved

Donate TodayThere are several easy, convenient, secure ways to make donations:-Online by credit card or PayPal through our on-line secure portal atwww.theconservationangler.org/donate.html

-By check. Please make your check to “Wild Salmon Science & Conservation Fund”and mail to:

The Conservation Angler, 16430 72nd Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026

We can also accept matching gifts, recurring monthly gifts, stock transfers andproperty donations. Please contact us at theconservationangler@gmail.com orWHICH PHONE NUMBER

In addition to our self-funding Kamchatka Steelhead Project partnership, we areexcited to offer a new program in partnership with The Fly Shop (Redding, California).You join Friends of the Conservation Angler and then book your adventure destinationtravel (other fishing destinations throughout the world) through The Fly Shop. Tell us/TFS where you want to go and TFS will handle all the booking arrangements, travel,visas, travel/medical insurance. 2% of the retail value of your booking comes directlyto TCA. This adds nothing to the cost of your adventure but provides significantfunding for TCA conservation programs—it's easy, fun, and cost efficient! Contact usfor the details and mechanics at theconservationangler@gmail.com

Friends of the Conservation Angler

WHICH ADDRESS DO WE WANT ON THE BACK PAGE?