What do suckerfish indicate?

[Stumpy]

Pikeminnow are native, and should be released unharmed, as well. Very good for the ecosystem, despite the negative publicity they get from BPA.

Sorry to disagree, Dr. T, but rattlesnakes and mosquitos are also native. They admittedly serve an ecological function, yet their proper function is incompatible with my personal comfort and my ecological function. While I don't place a bounty on their head, I do swat a few.
I'm not sure we catch any more salmon or steelhead due to the BPA bounty program. I am sure that a few adept people make a pretty good living off of the program, and maybe have fun fishing for a living!

 

[DrTheopolis]

First, the BPA "study was complete and utter "junk science," but they were required to spend money mitigating damage from the dams, and what better PR than to pay people to fish? Directly below the dams on the Columbia and Snake, pikeminnow are slightly out of proportion.

Second, killing a fish and wasting it is a wildlife violation in Oregon. Picking and choosing which rules one follows is a slippery sloe, don'tchathink? Maybe the next guy thinks it's OK to keep unclipped steelhead and sturgeon.

Third, salmon and steelhead smolt eat pikeminnow fry. Well-fed salmon and steelhead is in everyone's better interest.

Fourth, salmon/steelhead and pikeminnow coexisted for eons before you started killing them... where's the logic?

 

[Rusty]

Sorry to disagree, Dr. T, but rattlesnakes and mosquitos are also native. They admittedly serve an ecological function, yet their proper function is incompatible with my personal comfort and my ecological function. While I don't place a bounty on their head, I do swat a few.
I'm not sure we catch any more salmon or steelhead due to the BPA bounty program. I am sure that a few adept people make a pretty good living off of the program, and maybe have fun fishing for a living!

I take no issue with swatting mosquitoes but I hope you are not advocating for the killing of any species that makes one uncomfortable does not fit one's personal ecological function.

 

[homerhomer]

The Sandy sure has a lot of suckers. I honestly think it's odd when I don't catch any. I've seen little Asian ladies and large Russian Babushka's catch them and put their them in buckets. I don't mind them. I think they lay in similar water as steelhead and they can help break up the slow day. "Fish on!!! Wait a minute...",LOL.

 

[Stumpy]

First, the BPA "study was complete and utter "junk science," but they were required to spend money mitigating damage from the dams, and what better PR than to pay people to fish? Directly below the dams on the Columbia and Snake, pikeminnow are slightly out of proportion.

Second, killing a fish and wasting it is a wildlife violation in Oregon. Picking and choosing which rules one follows is a slippery sloe, don'tchathink? Maybe the next guy thinks it's OK to keep unclipped steelhead and sturgeon.

Third, salmon and steelhead smolt eat pikeminnow fry. Well-fed salmon and steelhead is in everyone's better interest.

Fourth, salmon/steelhead and pikeminnow coexisted for eons before you started killing them... where's the logic?

Dr. T:
I have respected your posts as thoughtful and intuitive. I have not read the BPA study you mention, so I will not dispute your evaluation as "junk science" (I am sincerely interested in the pertinent findings in question however) . You lose me though with your fourth point; if we're worried about the relationship and coexistence of salmonids and pikeminnows, perhaps we should not fish (and harvest) either species. For the record, I have probably caught less than 10 squawfish/pikeminnows in over 60 years of fishing. I have harvested a few more steelhead than that, but have recently done far more C & R than harvesting.

Rusty:
"I take no issue with swatting mosquitoes but I hope you are not advocating for the killing of any species that makes one uncomfortable does not fit one's personal ecological function"

I am certainly not advocating for the killing of any species that makes me uncomfortable. I do, however, advocate for the philosophy of accepting the management (killing) of one species at the expense of another. Without getting into too many tired parallels, I don't dispute the taking of sea lions to preserve endangered runs of salmon/steelhead. I routinely spray knapweed, Canada thistle, morning glory, and other commonly perceived noxious weeds. My "...personal [perspective of] ecological function" obviously is not as sensitive as yours. I don't presume to impose my beliefs on your hopes, but thought I would respond to your hopes.

 

[my2labs]

Stumpy,

Just wanted to point out a couple things about your argument for killing these fish.....

Your statement:

"I have probably caught less than 10 squawfish/pikeminnows in over 60 years of fishing."

You also said,

"While I don't place a bounty on their head, I do swat a few."

So by a few... you meant fewer than 10 over 60 years.......?

And you did this because you believe that managing them will help Salmon and Steelhead prosper....???

While I would never advocate for people to kill these fish because of the points Theopolis made (which are logical and science based....), I think we can all agree that if you killed everyone you ever caught, it would have zero impact on anything... including salmon and steelhead.

Soo........ all arguments about logic or personal beliefs/positions aside........ maybe you should consider releasing the one or two you may catch in the future.... since the rate you hook them will obviously have no impact on your argued benefit for the river system and it is in fact, illegal.

****I don't mean this to be insulting.... just making a point using your statements. (It may sound a bit harsh, but that is only because this is in text form (common problem in this day and age) .... If we could speak on this, I promise you would not get a rude sentiment from me as I am not trying to be insulting.)

Whatever you decide to do..... Good luck on the river.

(Disclaimer: I don't care if people want to kill these fish... I don't and would advise people not to, but I also do not tell others what to do based on my beliefs because that is insane to do. Do what you want, just make logical arguments supporting why if you choose to interject your opinion on others (especially in a public forum)....)

 

[Stumpy]

My2Labs:
Poor composition on my part. I swat mosquitos. A heluva lot more than 10 over the years.
I appreciate your post.