Harvest Mentality Revisited

This was originally posted a few years ago and while it may seem like I am just being lazy or cannot think of anything to complain about I just felt this needs to be said again.
I have never claimed to have the answers and I know many of you reading this are a lot smarter than me but I do know this much.
We have got to get serious about conservation and if it means sacrificing to do it then it's pretty simple....do it! You might have to give up a days fishing once in awhile to be involved but you can never do anything so important as far as conservation goes than getting involved even in a small way. Know this though friends and if ever there was anything of use that I have written here then hopefully this is one of those rare items.

Posting on an internet forum has never, ever saved one wild salmon,steelhead or trout...not once. I've would be hypocritical to rant on here if I didn't put some efforts with my time and meager financial resources.

I have zero desire to make any money on this blog and besides who would pay me?
There are some public proposals that will be discussed in the coming months that put wild salmon, steelhead and trout in jeopardy. Please take a look at these proposals when they are posted on ODFW's website.
Please go to meeting and be a voice for wild fish. Please write and make the ODFW commissioners aware of how you feel. Call you legislator and make his life miserable with your complaints if you feel strongly about something.
I would never ask anything of anyone without being willing to do the same myself because that would be the height of hypocrisy but I feel it's just that important....thanks for reading

When I first started "The Quiet Pool" almost 5  years ago what I had in mind was sharing my thoughts on fly fishing, politics and conservation. I've linked some interesting articles along the way and hopefully those who have come here have enjoyed what I've shared here. I've ditched the politics for the most part but the fervor for wild salmonids remains.

I feel compelled to focus on the plight of wild fish and their habitat as I see a general malaise towards them. The prevailing sentiment throughout the north west fishing scene seems to be "I gotta get mine" and that is truly sad.Many people think that we have this bottomless population of fish to harvest and that they will always be there. They think that it's their right and the states obligation to provide fish, specifically salmonid species, for them to kill. In some coastal regions the harvest mentality is such that endangered wild fish are of little importance because they cannot be killed. Take the plight of the coastal cutthroat trout for instance. These last remaining coastal wild trout are endangered but those of the harvest mentality want to kill two a day with the minimum of eight inches.You have to wonder what people are thinking don't you? Listen folks by all means kill as many hatchery fish as possible! These are the fish you want to harvest because you are indeed doing wild fish a favor by killing them. Releasing hatchery fish back into the river is irresponsible and just plain dumb but some get the warm fuzzies by doing this....go figure!

I wish I could write lofty and poetic prose on the wonders of fly fishing but as I've written before I feel our remaining wild populations of steelhead, salmon and trout are faced with a very real danger. You've heard the old saying "I've seen the enemy and he is us" haven't you? With the general indifference that is more and more becoming the norm I feel it's my obligation to speak out in whatever way I can.