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Methow Valley News December 9, 1999 Endangered Species Coverage Proposal gives hope to Methow fishermen Wenatchee, Entiat river systems will likely still close By Craig Northrup In a last-minute meeting with fly fishing clubs from around North Central Washington, biologists from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife outlined a proposal that could save the Methow River from a pending closure to most recreational fishing. The proposal, spearheaded by the Methow Valley Fly Fishers and adopted by the biologists, stipulates the Methow River would remain open for catch-and-release fishing from the mouth of Gold Creek to Weeman Bridge, that the Chewuch River would remain open up to Eight-Mile Creek, and that the Twisp River would remain open from the mouth to War Creek. The DFW, under National Marine Fisheries Service policies, announced three weeks ago the Methow would likely be closed to fishing in order to help restore the wild fish population. That closure also included the Entiat and Wenatchee rivers and upper reaches. The entire Methow was slated for closure, but the Thursday (Dec. 2) meeting gave Methow fishers some hope. "This is a truly viable, defensible plan up in the Methow," said Heather Bartlett, biologist for Fish and Game. "This is the result of cooperation with the local fly fishermen in their efforts to salvage some kind of fishing season." Fifty people—including a small army of Methow Valley Fly Fishers—attended the meeting at the Douglas County Public Utility District office in East Wenatchee. There, they listened to the plan to keep the river open for at least another season. The plan breaks the catch-and-release-only areas up into five separate groups, listed by priority. According to Fish and Game and the fishermen, the most important fishing grounds they have any chance of keeping open are, in order: 1. the Methow River from the mouth of the Twisp River to the mouth of the Chewuch; 2. the Methow from the mouth of Gold Creek to the mouth of the Twisp; 3. the Chewuch River from the mouth to Eight-Mile Creek; 4. the Methow from the mouth of the Chewuch to Weeman Bridge; and 5. the Twisp River from its mouth to War Creek. The upper reaches of the Methow would be closed to monitor restoration and be considered a sanctuary, as would the lower Methow below Gold Creek. "This is a plan I think we can all live with," Fly Fishers’ president Ben Dennis said at the meeting. "This is a situation where we need to get whatever we can, and I think it’s win-win for everybody." While Methow Valley fishermen appeared satisfied with the saving of the river, others were not so happy. Many angry fishermen protested the closures, demanding answers or a chance to be heard by Fish and Wildlife. Irv Conner, a veteran fly fisherman from Wenatchee, qualified the closure as an "intrusion." "These politicians over in Washington, D.C., take it upon themselves to list these fish as endangered because they think the runs are dwindling up," Conner stated at the meeting. "In order to get them delisted, they would have to admit they made a mistake, and they’re not willing to do that." "Isn’t there anything we can do?" Doc Cunningham of Wenatchee asked, receiving little comfort. "What I want to know is, are the people who speak for you going to speak for us?" demanded Brad Northrup of East Wenatchee with a pointed finger. "Somehow, the Powers That Be in Washington (D.C.) decided they have the authority to tell us how to live our lives without ever stepping foot over here. They admit they don’t have the data either way, but they still say closing the river is necessary to protect the runs. It defies logic." According to Bartlett, the specified sections of the Methow would remain open next year under the proposal, but the proposal is by no means final. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission will convene this weekend in Vancouver, Wash., to decide on the matter. If NMFS believes the proposal effectively studies the wild fish run--a study that would measure the fish's amount of strontium in the brain to determine if the creature derived from the ocean--they will support the plan. The commission is expected to vote on the changes sometime by the end of the day Saturday (Dec. 11). Even if the vote is approved, Bartlett conceded, the closure still might take effect the year after, depending on what results NMFS finds. Meanwhile, the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Winthrop both issued letters last week urging the Methow remains open. Opinion | Sports |
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