Northern Pike in the Columbia?

It's death by a thousand cuts.  There is no One Band-Aid that'll fix either eco-system.  I can say confidently though that one more cut will not improve things either.

-Spot-

It's death by a thousand cuts.  There is no One Band-Aid that'll fix either eco-system.  I can say confidently though that one more cut will not improve things either.

-Spot-

Death by a thousand cuts and a divide and conquer tactics from the those on the other side.

-Allen

I've seen photographic evidence that Spot is behind the dwindling number of Springers in the Columbia.   

Do pike belong in the Columbia River?  No
Will pike eat salmon smolts? Yes.
Do we want to give salmon smolts an even less chance of surviving? No
Is the proposed management very costly? No

Sounds like changing the Pend Oreille River to two-rods and stripping pike of "game fish" status is pretty much a win-win.

Now if they were talking about a high-cost management strategy (see Lake Davis in California http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lakedavis/mgpike.html ) that shifts resources away from other real problems facing the Columbia River, I could see the concern.

Brian

I agree bsteeves.

I think a low cost solution to the problem is in place and that it is in line with the severity of the problem. Another thing that
WDFW might consider is allowing bow hunting of pike. In the late winter/early spring when they go to spawn they may be targetable.
Again it is basically a zero cost solution. I am not sure if the water color is amenable to this but if it is it could be effective.