RICHLAND, Wash. — Open spots are still available for Fish-O-Rama in Richland, where organizers plan to welcome people of all skill levels to fish at 1600 Columbia Park Trail.
The event continues on October 25 and centers on teaching people how to fish while also reducing bass, perch and walleye in the Mid-Columbia. Biologists say those species threaten young salmon and trout, which are native and culturally significant.
Organizers say people only need a fishing license. They will provide the rest of the gear needed to fish.
One organizer explained what will happen to fish that are caught.
“If folks want to take them home and eat them, great. We’ve got some bags and we’ll kind of, we have some ideas for how to how to use them, whether you’re going to cook some reason as compost in your garden. But if people don’t want to take them home, we’re actually putting them in a cooler and we’re donating them to our partners who are here helping with this event. Benton Conservation District. And they’re going to be using them for salmon dissections or alongside salmon dissections for high school students. So it’ll be a learning opportunity if they aren’t going to get eaten,” said Tori Wood, the education coordinator for Mid-Columbia Fisheries.
The Mid-Columbia Fisheries says it will not release caught fish back into the Columbia. Fish that participants do not keep will go to the Benton Conservation District for student learning activities.