Wild Steelhead Coalition: Founding Board Members

David Bailey, Duggan Harman (First President), Jeff Johnson, Les Johnson, Kevin Kent, Dee Norton, Carl Ostberg, Ryan Petzold, Todd Ripley, Rich Simms, and Jim Starkes.

Past Notable Board Members

Jack Berryman: President 2002 - 2004, Board Member 2004 - 2010

Dick Burge: VP of Science 2002 - 2013

Nate Mantua: VP of Environment and Policy 2002 - 2009

Jonathan Stumpf: Chair 2014 - 2020, Board Member 2010-2013

MaryAnn Mitchell: Steelhead Summit Alliance Coordinator and Leader

Profiles of Past Members and Leaders

Over the history of the Wild Steelhead Coalition, many dedicated conservationists, scientists, and anglers have volunteered huge amounts of work on behalf of wild steelhead and their home watersheds. Over time, we hope to keep adding profiles of key past members of the organization to celebrate their commitment and accomplishments.

Jack W. Berryman, Ph.D.

Jack joined the WSC in 2001 when he was invited to become a Trustee. He became the WSC’s second president the following year and served in that capacity until 2004. From 2004 to 2010, Jack was a central member of the Board and worked closely with president Rich Simms.

During those years, he organized and sponsored the WSC’s first Steelhead Summit Alliance on the University of Washington campus, chaired several banquet fundraiser committees and, as a freelance writer, published “Why Wild Steelhead are Important,” an editorial in Salmon Trout Steelheader, along with several conservation columns in Northwest Fly Fishing featuring the WSC and wild steelhead which included “Wild Steelhead Coalition Unveils Plan for Washington’s Wild Steelhead” in 2006 and “Wild Steelhead Need More Advocates” in 2010. Along with Dick Burge, Jack travelled throughout the state visiting WDFW Commissioners in 2003-2004 to gain their support for statewide wild steelhead release. In 2006, he coauthored the WSC publication, “The Status of Wild Steelhead and Their Management in Western Washington: Strategies for Conservation and Recreation,” with Richard Burge and Nathan Mantua.

Jack’s book chapter, “Protecting a Northwest Icon: Fly Anglers and Their Efforts to Save Wild Steelhead,” featured the work of the WSC and was published in Backcasts: A Global History of Fly Fishing and Conservation in 2016.

For additional information about Jack, visit his website jackberryman.com.

Richard Burge

Richard (Dick) Burge joined the WSC BOD in 2001, soon after retiring from WDFW as a marine biologist and the Director of the Point Whitney Shellfish Laboratory. He served the WSC 15 years, first as the Conservation VP and later as the Science and Conservation VP.

Dick initiated the Steelhead Summit series bringing many organizations and individuals together to discuss steelhead problems and chaired five of the semi-annual meetings. He was the lead author with Nate Mantua, Jack Berryman and Larry Doyle of the WSC 82 page book on “The Status of Wild Steelhead and Their Management in Western Washington: Strategies for Conservation and Recreation.” This publication described the condition of the stocks in Puget Sound, Southwest Washington, the Lower Columbia and the Olympic Peninsula, including graphs showing the run declines, and a set of recommendations for improved management and conservation.

During Dick’s time on the BOD he served on four WDFW Committees including 16 years on the SCPAG, on the Hatchery Reform Committee, the WDFW Steelhead Management Plan Committee and on the North Coast Steelhead Rules Committee. In 2015 Dick presented a program to the SCPAG and the Department showing graphs of the declining runs and productivity regressions, showing steelhead populations were quickly declining and would reach a point of fishery depletion (not making their respective escapement goals) within an average of 15 years.

It was always an upwards battle on these committees to convince WDFW that a more conservative management program was needed to preserve wild steelhead stocks. However, in 2008 Dick was successful in working with Montesano biologists to produce the first CnR steelhead fishery, closing harvest after February 15 on all coastal rivers; and on the preservation of resident steelhead (more formally known as rainbow trout) in all Washington’s anadromous rivers.

After leaving the BOD in 2016 Dick continued serving as a WSC Trustee and Science Advisor and also wrote an article on the impacts of CnR fishing titled “Catch and Release Impacts on Wild Steelhead: what we know and what we don’t know.” This article reviewed the research on CnR fisheries and found the pre-spawning mortality rate is high (14% to 23%) and the stress from fishing and handling can induce the production of the steroid cortisol that may cause reproductive failure or reduce the quality and size of eggs and sperm and produce smaller and weaker fry.