January 20, 2020 9:30 a.m.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission denied a petition to prohibit the retention of wild winter steelhead in rivers through the Southwest Zone via temporary rule in a split 4-2 vote on Friday.
Michelle Dennehy from ODFW said the commission heard from more than 50 people who signed up to testify for and against the petition. Dennehy said ODFW staff had recommended that commissioners deny the petition as staff does not have a conservation concern for wild winter steelhead on the south coast for 2020. The declines in wild steelhead in other parts of the state have not been observed in the Southwest Zone and current regulations are already conservative, according to Denney. Commissioners denied a similar petition in 2018.
The commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in the state. Its next meeting will be February 7^th in Tigard.