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Policies

Photo by John McMillan

WSC Profile

Dylan Tomine

Dylan Tomine

Trustee

Trustees

Dylan Tomine is a writer, wild fish advocate and Patagonia Fishing Ambassador.

He has chased steelhead from Argentina to Alaska for more than 30 years, and finds daily motivation to fight for fish conservation in the memories of his former home-fishery, the once-great spring runs of the Skykomish River.

To help battle the negative impacts of hatchery fish on wild populations, Dylan is currently involved in a one-man eradication program that disposes of hatchery fish the old fashioned way: by eating them.

Wild Steelhead Coalition > About WSC > Mission & History > Policies

WSC Policies & Actions

Photo by Luke Kelly

Photos on this page by John McMillan and Luke Kelly

The Wild Steelhead Coalition advocates for recreational fishermen and the businesses that depend upon them, fishing clubs and conservation groups.

We consult, collaborate, and associate with these groups to meet the following goals:

  • To increase fish runs, more wild fish must return to their rivers and spawn. To that end, the WSC promotes year round, catch and release of all wild steelhead in the Pacific Northwest.
  • The WSC promotes and encourages the development and utilization of fishing practices that result in decreased mortality of wild steelhead and salmon.
  • Barriers to migration and the degradation and removal of productive habitat have reduced the capacity of rivers to support wild steelhead. In order for fish runs to be restored, the WSC promotes the return of existing damaged habitat to its productive state, and that miles of productive spawning grounds that are no longer accessible to fish be made accessible again.
  • Hatchery programs must be closely examined and be carried out in such a manner that the negative impacts on wild fish are removed or minimized. The WSC stands for the mass marking of all hatchery steelhead, and for science, not politics, to be the basis for the re-tooling of hatchery practices.
  • The models and policies that drive fisheries management must significantly change. Maximum Sustained Harvest and Maximum Sustained Yield have failed to protect and perpetuate our wild fish, and in many cases have been the driving force behind their decline. New models that are based on factors other than the greatest possible harvest of wild fish are necessary to return fish runs to safe levels.