We need to give walleye fishery fair chance

Response to Rob Ryan's walleye article (March 6, 2016)

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game Fisheries Management Plan, which sets the policy alluded to in Rob Ryan's recent article about walleye, states that one primary goal of the agency is to provide diverse opportunities. The plan also specifies considering social, environmental, and economic impacts of management actions. It would behoove the agency to give the recently established Walleye fair consideration from social, environmental, and economic aspects and consider them as a valuable asset rather than a liability.

Socially, walleye in Lake Pend Oreille are a big positive for people who want to catch and eat fish. Ironically, the only social downside of walleye in the LPO system is the agency position and policy. In the 2007 article revealing the “discovery” of walleye in LPO, Chip Corsi, the regional director of IDFG, was quoted “I hope anglers whack them,” thus spawning an attitude of intolerance, gluttony, and promoting destruction of gamefish, which is socially unacceptable behavior based on fear, ignorance and greed.

From a biological perspective, it is well known that walleye eat other fish. What is not known is what fish they eat and, more importantly, how that affects the overall fishery. Over the past decade, IDFG has invested more than $6 million of corporate and federal money into kokanee recovery, also known as the Fishery Recovery Program, and has been touting the success of the program.

It is very important to point out that the development of a viable walleye fishery has occurred concurrently with kokanee recovery. I don't claim to know all of the dynamic s of the LPO fishery, but it is entirely possible that walleye have taken a positive role in the success of the FRP. Throughout the Northwest, Northern Pike minnow are primary predators of salmonids including salmon and bull trout. In my experience, (according to Ryan's numbers, I caught half of all walleye in the 2014-2015 season), LPO walleye prey primarily on three species of fish: Northern Pike Minnow, Peamouth Chub, and Yellow Perch. None of these are salmonids.

Economically, walleye benefit our community. Just walk into your local sporting goods store. At least 30 percent of all fishing gear stocked at the Sandpoint North 40 Outfitters is for walleye. My modest charter service contributes tens of thousands of dollars to the local economy each season. These are just two examples. The financial benefit of our walleye fishery is substantial and has the potential to be even greater.

So, as Rob Ryan said, walleye are here to stay, and as long as they provide social, environmental, and economic benefit, why not give them a fair chance? Ignoring the overall gist of their own management plan and instead hiding behind one line in a 150-page document is a cop-out, especially since walleye entered the LPO system the exact same way that kokanee did: downstream from Montana. If you are in agreement and would like to advocate for fair and honest management of our precious fishery resources, feel free to contact me by e-mail at info@gofishcharters.org.

CHAD LANDRUM

Sandpoint