IFPAG Meeting, Feb. 25, 2012

[Don Wittenberger]

Item 1: Personnel Changes

Fish Program Manager Jim Uehara retired and is replaced by Spokane-area biologist Chris Donnelly.

Item 2: 2012 Tiger Muskie Stocking

WDFW has about 5200 to 5300 plantable fingerlings, short of the 6000 goal, because a circulation problem caused the loss of all the fry in one of the round tanks.

Item 3: Northern Pike

I'll try to limit this to new information and avoid rehashing what you already know. WDFW changed its regulations this winter to clean up the confusing dual designation of northern pike as a game fish and prohibited species. They are no longer a game fish and are now a prohibited species. You can fish for them, and it's legal to release them back to the waters from which caught, but you can't transport them and WDFW prefers you kill every pike you catch. WDFW's management goals are to (1) reduce pike numbers in the Pend O'Reilles River, (2) minimize their impact on other species, and (3) keep them from spreading. To give you an idea of how they've proliferated, the 2004 net survey caught 26 pike and the 2009 survey netted 755 pike. WDFW doesn't think they can be eliminated, but hopes to reduce the population by 87%, roughly back to 2004 levels, and keep it there. WDFW likes suggestions by Spokane-area pike anglers to use angling harvest and tournaments as a means of population control; a Kalispell tribal pilot project showed gillnetting also works, and the tribe plans to gillnet pike for 6 weeks beginning in early March. Most of the pike now in the river are small; about 80% are 20 to 27 inches.

Item 4: WDFW Budget

WDFW's biennial (2-year) budget is about $358 million, of which 32% is State General Fund, 18% is Wildlife Account (hunting and fishing license sales), 30% is Federal and 20% is Local Government sources. Under the new budget being debated in the legislature, the percentages for State General Fund and Wildlife Account reverse to about 17% and 33% respectively. The big picture is that our cash-strapped legislature is shifting the financial burden of supporting WDFW's recreational programs from taxpayers to license buyers, but State General Funding won't completely go away, because legislators are willing to continue providing state funding for these four activities: (1) salmon recovery, (2) hatcheries, (3) enforcement, and (4) hydraulic permits. Overall, WDFW has lost half of its State General Funds over the past 4 years, from $110 million to $55M, but some of that was replaced by other sources, so the net loss is about $25-30M. Because at least 85% of WDFW's expenses are personnel costs, spending reductions had to be achieved by reducing staff (including layoffs), as you know. The good news (to the extent there is any) is that license sales, assisted by modest license fee increases, have held up well despite the weak economy. Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 sales were $19.1M, FY2009 sales were $18.7M, FY2010 sales were $20.1M, FY2011 sales were $19.4M, and FY2012 is $23.6M. Over that period, participation in hunting has declined from about 138.6 thousand to 129.1K persons, but fishing participation has grown from 295.7K to 364.1K persons. If you're curious how much 2-pole fees contribute, it's about $40,000 per year -- not a lot, but every bit helps -- and WDFW is studying possible additional user fees.

Item 5: IFPAG's Structure

Last year, WDFW reduced IFPAG's membership from 25 to 15, and my general impression is IFPAG is now a leaner and meaner group. By that I mean WDFW has retained the most focused and motivated members, and we're having productive discussions with enough time for everyone to participate. "Inland fish policy" includes both trout and warmwater fish, and this advisory group is an important avenue for WDFW managers to get feedback representing the public's interests on management and policy issues affecting our state's inland fisheries. I like the group's new format. IFPAG meets 3 times a year, with our next meeting likely to occur in July.

[Dex]

Good info Don...

thanks for sharing...

ND

[Don Wittenberger]

You're welcome! I've been unable to drive a car for over a year because of vision problems, but if my (hopefully) final eye surgery goes well next month, I want to visit all 3 musky clubs this year. In case you're wondering, I don't like being a senior citizen and falling apart like an old car; it doesn't suit my temperament.

[Dex]

Understand.....

Also, you might want to copy your post under the pike forum as well to ensure everyone is tuned into whats going on.

Take care and hope to see you soon.

ND

[dougw]

Thanks for the update Don!

[Natebg1]

Thanks Norm,

We are all certainly in tune on the Pike side! So when are you coming to Eastern Washington to fish with us? Buddy, Doug and I are waiting

Nate

[Dex]

I don't remember recieving an invite....LOL

I'll give you a call.

thanks

ND

[Rosann G]

Sorry to hear you aren't enjoying retirement and that things aren't going good Don, we know how that is too. Hope your eye surgery goes well for you. Thank you for posting about the meeting. I especially appreciate the info on how the WDFW gets it's funding!

[Fish-N-Fool]

Item 3: Northern Pike

I'll try to limit this to new information and avoid rehashing what you already know. WDFW changed its regulations this winter to clean up the confusing dual designation of northern pike as a game fish and prohibited species. They are no longer a game fish and are now a prohibited species. You can fish for them, and it's legal to release them back to the waters from which caught, but you can't transport them and WDFW prefers you kill every pike you catch. WDFW's management goals are to (1) reduce pike numbers in the Pend O'Reilles River, (2) minimize their impact on other species, and (3) keep them from spreading. To give you an idea of how they've proliferated, the 2004 net survey caught 26 pike and the 2009 survey netted 755 pike. WDFW doesn't think they can be eliminated, but hopes to reduce the population by 87%, roughly back to 2004 levels, and keep it there. WDFW likes suggestions by Spokane-area pike anglers to use angling harvest and tournaments as a means of population control; a Kalispell tribal pilot project showed gillnetting also works, and the tribe plans to gillnet pike for 6 weeks beginning in early March. Most of the pike now in the river are small; about 80% are 20 to 27 inches.

To me the Northern Pike will always be a game fish and I will do everything to promote catch and release of all pike caught. Although I don't agree with your so called management practices, I'd like to know whats legal now. I have a few questions, are you saying that people can not take a dead fish home to eat or that you can not transport a live fish? The way you have it listed would leave me to believe it would be illegal to take any fish home.
Also what is the current rules as far as fishing methods for pike? are two poles legal now?
number of hooks? Does this mean there are now NO CLOSED WATERS for pike and we can fish any of the tribal waters ???

[Don Wittenberger]

Just to clarify, IFPAG members are citizen volunteers, not WDFW employees, and IFPAG exists to provide public feedback to WDFW managers, but we can't tell WDFW what to do. These are WDFW's management practices, not IFPAG's or mine. Federal, state, and local governments and tribes are investing billions of dollars in salmon recovery and the appearance of pike in a Columbia River tributary threatens that investment. Consequently, pike aren't welcome in Washington.

Pike have migrated from Idaho into Long Lake for years, but these fish are few in number and don't reproduce. The Pend O'Reilles River is a different story. A reproducing resident population has become established and is taking over there. They're now being seen as far away as Kettle Falls. While the upper Columbia River lacks good pike spawning habitat, there are areas below Tri-cities where they might spawn and get established. That could be disastrous for Lower Columbia River salmon.

WDFW doesn't exist only to make sport anglers happy. As a state agency, WDFW has to protect the broader interests of all state citizens. You and I enjoy pike fishing, but our personal desires can't override those interests. WDFW's priority is to limit pike damage to native fish, and complaining by anglers won't change that. It's time to accept what is, and move on.

To answer your questions, WDFW encourages people to eat pike because it wants anglers to kill them, you can take dead pike home, and you can possess live pike on the river, but you can't transport live pike on highways river for the obvious reason that WDFW doesn't want people releasing them elsewhere. This has already happened, not only at Spokane-area lakes, but as far away as the Olympic peninsula. A few years ago, WDFW spent money to rehabilitate Crocker Lake near Port Angeles because a "bucket biologist" dumped pike in there. If you have pike in your livewell, throw them back or kill them before leaving the boat landing. Let common sense govern your actions -- the goal here is to keep pike from infesting waters where they don't presently exist. Non-tribal members need tribal permission to fish tribal waters. This winter's WDFW rule changes added Pend O'Reilles River to the list of waters open for two-pole fishing, for anglers who purchase the two-pole endorsement. Check the fishing pamphlet for gear restrictions at waters you fish.

[dougw]

Very good reply Don.

[Mark K]

Just to clarify, IFPAG members are citizen volunteers, not WDFW employees, and IFPAG exists to provide public feedback to WDFW managers, but we can't tell WDFW what to do. These are WDFW's management practices, not IFPAG's or mine. Federal, state, and local governments and tribes are investing billions of dollars in salmon recovery and the appearance of pike in a Columbia River tributary threatens that investment. Consequently, pike aren't welcome in Washington.

Pike have migrated into Long Lake for years, and occasionally escape the Spokane River, but these fish are few in number and don't reproduce. The Pend O'Reilles River is a different story. A reproducing resident population has become established and is taking over there. While the upper Columbia River doesn't have good pike spawning habitat, there are areas below Tri-cities where they might spawn and get established. That could be disastrous for Lower Columbia River salmon.

WDFW doesn't exist just to make sport anglers happy. As a government agency, WDFW has to protect the state's economy and broad interests of all the state's citizens. You and I may enjoy catching for pike, but our personal desires can't override the state's concerns about pike. WDFW's priority is to limit pike damage to native fish, and complaining by anglers won't change that. It's time to accept what is, and move on.

To answer your questions, WDFW encourages people to eat pike because it wants anglers to kill them, you can take dead pike home, and you can possess live pike on the river but you can't transport them on roads for the obvious reason that WDFW doesn't want people releasing them elsewhere. That has already happened, not only at Spokane-area lakes, but as far away as the Olympic peninsula. A few years ago, WDFW spent money to rehabilitate Crocker Lake near Port Angeles because a "bucket biologist" dumped pike in there. If you have pike in your livewell, throw them back or kill them before leaving the boat landing. Let common sense govern your actions -- the goal here is to keep pike from infesting waters where they don't presently exist. Non-tribal members need tribal permission to fish tribal waters. This winter's WDFW rule changes added Pend O'Reilles River to the list of waters open for two-pole fishing, for anglers who purchase the two-pole endorsement. Off the top of my head, I don't know what gear restrictions (if any) apply to the POR. The fishing pamphlet should answer that question.

And who are you to tell anyone to "accept what it is and move on" Don? Whatever.

[Don Wittenberger]

That's just friendly advice from one fisherman to another. I'd like to believe we're all reasonable and rational people. Beating your head against a stone wall doesn't make sense to me.

[Fish-N-Fool]

That's just friendly advice from one fisherman to another. I'd like to believe we're all reasonable and rational people. Beating your head against a stone wall doesn't make sense to me. Complaining won't change that. It's time to accept what is, and move on.

I'm sure that's what ---- edited for inappropiate subject, nothing to do with fishing either----, but just because they are the ones who get to tell us peons whats good for us doesn't make it right.

Your comment;

"WDFW doesn't exist only to make sport anglers happy. As a state agency, WDFW has to protect the broader interests of all state citizens. You and I enjoy pike fishing, but our personal desires can't override those interests. WDFW's priority is to limit pike damage to native fish,"

Protect the Broader interests?

I think you guys have been telling this pack of lies so long you are believing them. They have never show that pike have damaged any of the native populations of fish they proved they eat Perch, Sunfish, Crappie, tench and Squawfish and to that I say good. They needed something to control their numbers So WDFW may get to abuse their powers for now, but with enough public support what will change. Beating their heads against a stone wall sounds like the better Idea to me.

[muskyhunter]

That's just friendly advice from one fisherman to another. I'd like to believe we're all reasonable and rational people. Beating your head against a stone wall doesn't make sense to me. Complaining won't change that. It's time to accept what is, and move on.

I'm sure that's what ---- edited for inappropiate subject, nothing to do with fishing either----, but just because they are the ones who get to tell us peons whats good for us doesn't make it right.

Your comment;
Rick,
I would highly reccomend you removing this comment..NOW! You are not thinking rationally here! I am offended by this comment. What you wrote is inapproriate. We are talking fishing here goob. I understand your passion but for cryin' out loud dude. Really? Whats next pal? You gonna blame the President next?
I would also recommend Mike and AMX and any of the other moderators take this post off promptly!

"WDFW doesn't exist only to make sport anglers happy. As a state agency, WDFW has to protect the broader interests of all state citizens. You and I enjoy pike fishing, but our personal desires can't override those interests. WDFW's priority is to limit pike damage to native fish,"

Protect the Broader interests?

I think you guys have been telling this pack of lies so long you are believing them. And with enough public support what will change. Beating their heads against a stone wall sounds like the better Idea to me.

Like I said before, 5 guys/girls are not a big enough force to even make one iota of a difference. Might as well keep beating your brains against that brick wall folks! Todd

[Amx]

I think everyone needs to cool off a bit. If I have to read this whole thread I'm gonna be pissed. I already am a little as I'm right now missing my movie.

STRAIGHTEN UP!! or I'll lock it.

[Fish-N-Fool]

Sorry I didn't know a comment about Hitler was a "inappropriate subject"

[Amx]

VERY much inappropriate.

[Dex]

We all know that PIKE have their own forum, right..?????


LOL, just saying....

ND

[Xwisconyfisherman]

So can you bow fish for pike in the POR now?