[Don Freeman]

Ever wondered what you can do for the health and protection of coastal cutties (SRC)? Here is your chance to give time or money and truly have a positive effect. Check out the link below, look at the work being done, who is involved, and what' to be accomplished.

http://www.coastalcutthroatcoalition.com/

 

[Tool Fly]

Thank you for this. Very nicely done site, with lots of robust content. Congrats to all who brought this together and who are making a difference. I look forward to purchasing some items when the store comes online.

 

[Jeff Peacock]

This is really neat, and overdue! It's great to see coastal cutthroat getting some needed study and support.
Thanks for sharing Don.

 

[Batt B]

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing this. I have not heard of this effort until now.
Don't forget about the resident fish (non-sea-run coastal cutthroat). They represent an important life history for the species too.

 

[Jim Wallace]

Thanks. Well done. I'll have to support this. Can I join the CCC? I can hardly wait until I can order the mug.
I have to laugh at the message to upgrade my outdated browser on my ancient iMac. I get that a lot these days. I also have the Firefox browser, but that only jams me up. The web has gotten too fancy for my 1.8 mbps (that's max, and its often slower) connection.

 

[hbmcc]

It's a fascinating fish. To have survived this long with little understanding of the species is amazing.

 

[KerryS]

It's a fascinating fish. To have survived this long with little understanding of the species is amazing.

Likely the major factor in searun cutthroat's long term survival is they have no commercial value. If they did they would be facing extinction like salmon.

 

[hbmcc]

Likely the major factor in searun cutthroat's long term survival is they have no commercial value. If they did they would be facing extinction like salmon.

From what I understand, they almost did go extinct. It's why they are catch and release, rather than the "keeper bounty" of some years ago.

You are correct. Their value has also kept them unknown.

 

[Preston]

I don't think sea-run cutthroat were ever on the brink of extinction. I was personally involved in the effort to promote the no-retention-in-marine-areas regulation, and the principal concern was that a consumptive saltwater fishery over mixed stocks had the potential to decimate some of the very small stream populations which might consist of only a few spawning pairs; an unusual example of a conservation effort taking place before the situation became critical.

 

[Smalma]

hbmcc-
To second what Preston had to say; the only region of the State where the anadromous life history of the coastal cutthroat approached the edge of being threatened with extinction was in the lower Columbia and even there the resident life histories remained relatively robust. Here in Puget Sound the low point of anadromous life history abundance was in the late 1970s. However by that time there was a good understanding of the fish's basic biology and life histories (though to be fair their migration patterns in the salt where less than perfectly understood) and the managers by the mid-1980s had management strategies in place that has assured the fish and the fisheries they support every since. Arguably their abundance today are as high as they were any time in the last half of the previous century.

Fortunately for us at least since the early 1970s the management agency has always had one or more management bios there were more than willing to Champion our sea-runs.

Don -
To expand a bit on what Matt had to say - are there plans in the work to expand the scope of CCC to beyond South Puget Sound? In addition to Matt's resident coastal cutthroat there are substantial numbers of anadromous fish to be found in the North Puget Sound. While they don't support the same year-round fishing in the salt that South Sound and Hood Canal that is more than balanced by some pretty amazing fishing in the freshwater. In fact historically it might be fair to say the much of the focus of sea-run fishing was in those north Sounnd rivers. I can understanf why the initial focus may have been on the South Sound fish they represent only part of the coastal cutthroat story here in western Washington.

curt