Survey: Biggest threats to wild fish in Oregon?

Earlier this week I was contacted by Jeff Hickman, a steelhead guide on the North Coast that is now working as a conservation organizer through the Sierra Club’s Hunter and Angler campaign.

Jeff’s job is to get hunters and anglers to team up with the Sierra Club on environmental issues. It’s a similar program to the National Wildlife Federation’s Target Global Warming, which is asking hunters and anglers to help fight climate change.

This teaming up between enviros and the hook and bullet communities may be the best thing that’s happened for wildlife conservation in years.

Part of Hickman’s new job is figuring out what’s important to you, the fishing community. So he’s asking for the three biggest concerns you have for wildlife as an angler.

My three? Dams, the WOPR, and resort development on the Metolius.

What are your top three? Be as general or specific as you like and leave comments for Jeff.

-MS

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16 Responses to Survey: Biggest threats to wild fish in Oregon?

  1. Brent says:

    1 – Logging/WOPR
    2 – Tie: Climate Change and Dams
    3 – Development (increase in ecosystem fragmentation)/Water resource use (increase in use from: farming/irrigation, growing populations)

    also important: invasive species, salmon farms

  2. Karl Mueller says:

    1. Climate change.
    2. Dams
    3. Land Use issues (logging, development, etc)

  3. Joe says:

    Ditto; my ranking is
    1. climate change and associated increased demand for water
    2. invasive species
    3. roads and associated development

    And it gets worse when they interact. (e.g., development increases water demand and improves conditions for spread and establishment of invasives)

  4. Alex says:

    1.) Climate Change
    2.) Demand for Water
    3.) Invasive Species

  5. Chris O'Donnell says:

    1) Dams

    2) Logging/land use

    3) Fishery mismanagement

  6. Chris O'Donnell says:

    1) Dams

    2) Logging / land use

    3) Fisheries management

  7. Jim says:

    1. Salmon Farms
    2. Commercial Harvest
    3. Logging and other destruction of forests

    Honorable Mention: Competition from hatchery fish

  8. 1. Dams
    2. Fisheries mis-managment
    3. Commercial Harvest

  9. Rob Lewis says:

    1. Man
    2. Man
    3. Man

  10. Alex Gonsiewski says:

    1. Dams
    2. Fisheries management
    3. Logging/ land use

  11. Moon says:

    1 – The lack of good solid fisheries management of our wild stocks.

    2 – Habitat degradation.

    3 – Apathy

  12. Bpaul says:

    1. Habitat degradation around spawning streams and tributaries.

    2. Bad dams

    3. (can’t choose between) Hatchery fish/Commercial harvest

  13. Dave Vázquez says:

    1. Fisheries Management
    2. Dams
    3. Habitat destruction/encroachment.

    There have been a number of questionable fisheries management decisions made by ODFW during the past several years. Not the least of these is the management of wild trout on the McKenzie, the most heavily stocked body of water in the state. Not only does the presence of hatchery trout threaten the genetic viability of our native redsides, but these zombie fish also compete with natives for food, spawning habitate, and holding areas. With an already depressed population, the natives are simply overwhelmed by the zombie fish. The Wild Trout society estimates that only 35 percent of these hatchery fish are caught, raising the cost of having them in the river to $3.08/fish. At over 100k fish stocked, that’s a budget expenditure of over $300,000. In these times of fiscal belt tightening, it just doesn’t make sense to maintain this senseless fishery. I say let our wild fish do what they’re supposed to do–for free!

  14. Stevie says:

    1. Bait fishing

    2. Watershed habitat degradation

    3. Mis-management

  15. Clint says:

    My three picks include:
    Habitat destruction, including dams, warm water, and logging.
    High seas drift nets, both manned and formerly manned. They fish forever.
    Man, and his unbelieveable desire to fight over the last fish if given the chance.

  16. floyd lapp says:

    very poor management decisions throughout our fish and wild life department. If we do have a problem with logging and land use regulations, the problem clearly points to our policies, practices, and procedures. It is real basic folks.POOR MANAGEMENT.

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