A recent news release from the Department of Fish and Wildlife reminded anglers that the opening of the Wenatchee River to salmon fishing was made possible by funding through the Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement Stamp program.

As many anglers know, when they buy their fishing license and intend to fish for salmon or steelhead on the Columbia River and its tributaries, they much purchase this stamp for an additional fee. The fees raised by the sale of the stamp goes to a dedicated fund established by the state legislature and can only be used for the purposes of continuing selective fisheries for these species or adding new ones.

The money goes to scientific monitoring, evaluation, data collection, permitting, reporting and enforcement. The fund has generated more than $1 million annually. So far the fund has supported salmon and steelhead seasons on the Wenatchee, Snake, Entiat, Methow, Okanogan and Similkameen rivers. Without this funding many selective fisheries would not be possible, even though there is enough fish in the river to open them.

The Wenatchee River steelhead fishery is a good example. A fishery can't be opened until the fish arrive each year, and the stamp provides to monitoring funds required to do so.