Groups ready to sue to halt steelhead fishing

A coalition of environmental groups has filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, leaders of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and members of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission over steelhead fisheries in the state.

The groups say the ongoing fishing season for hatchery steelhead poses a threat to wild fish that are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They assert that Idaho’s Fisheries Management Evaluation Plan has expired. The document details how fisheries will be managed to avoid impacting protected fish and also allows the state to incidentally kill a small percentage of wild steelhead during fishing seasons for hatchery steelhead.

The groups — including the Conservation Angler, Idaho Rivers United, Friends of the Clearwater, Snake River Waterkeeper and Wild Fish Conservancy — want the state to shut down steelhead fishing.

“They don’t have that coverage. They don’t have that approval from NOAA Fisheries for any of their fisheries that could incidentally take a wild steelhead,” said David Moskowitz, executive director of the Conservation Angler at Portland.

Virgil Moore, director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said Wednesday he had yet to see a letter from the groups announcing their intention and couldn’t comment until he has time to review it.

The steelhead return to the Snake River basin has tanked for the second year in a row. In response, fisheries officials in Idaho and the neighboring states of Oregon and Washington have slashed steelhead bag limits on the Snake River and its tributaries. The move is designed to ensure enough hatchery steelhead return to produce the next generation of the ocean-going trout at fish hatcheries in the three states.

Fishing regulations require anglers to release any wild steelhead they catch. However, fisheries managers know a small number of those released wild fish end up perishing from injuries or exhaustion. The groups contend that even if that number is small, it is too large in a year when so few fish are returning from the ocean.

“For years, Idaho has deferred to the false federal narrative that wild steelhead runs were on the rise when the data clearly shows a steep decline,” said Kevin Lewis, executive director of Idaho Rivers United. “Idaho has a legal responsibility to comply with the ESA and do its part to help recover these magnificent fish.”

Moskowitz said he hopes the letter and the threat of a lawsuit convince state fisheries officials to open a dialogue with the groups.

“If they are interested, I think we are interested in figuring out what is the best thing for the wild fish. We hope that happens.”

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.