I’ve always assumed it’s professional disdain – why the Fish and Game is reluctant to use anglers for eradication or thinning fish populations.

The only venture I know of; “Fistful of Pikeminnow”, and “For A Few Pikeminnow More”, suggest that the bounty program on Columbia River Pikeminnow netted 158,000 fish for 2008, with anglers pocketing nearly $1,000,000 during the fracas.

Nice lump of change for many – with nearly $500,000 dollars paid to the top 20 fishermen. That’s $25,000 each for countless days afield and a swell suntan.

It’s plain that the agencies are reluctant to go whole hog – as the jobs created by bounty-killer “infrastructure” projects would be neatly offset by the number of anglers abandoning work in favor of professional fishing – otherwise we’d see thousands of such programs nationwide.

Since 1990, more than three million northern pikeminnow have been removed through the sport reward program. As a result of these efforts, predation on juvenile salmonids is estimated to have been cut by 38 percent.

Whether you believe the numbers or not, that’s a healthy return on investment – considering the multi-million dollar fish ladders and bank restorations that achieve single digit returns.

During the same period we’ve increased our appetite for cooked salmon nearly 12% – suggesting that while we possess a certain altruistic lean, we are listening to the doctors lecture us on heart health.