yep, no surprise at all ,very typical of the replies i expected to get on this board.
Well ya, because this board is designed to accommodate fishermen who choose to diregard all ethics on the flow.
Look, you do have good points Abito, most experienced river anglers already know it when they see the photo. However, put yourself in David's shoes for ten seconds. He recently moved to BC from England, just started out steelhead fishing with no success. Finally he was able to connect with one after numerous outings and landed it. First steelhead ever, he wanted to capture that joy on a still photograph. You and I, or anyone else, do not know how long that fish was out of the water, therefore we are in no position to judge how David handled the fish.
In a few years from now, David will connect with more steelhead, and he'll look back and think that although this fish was large, it was certainly beyond its prime and not on his target list. It's a learning process, not everyone has 10+ years of experience on the flow.
Was it David's fault for getting a fish close to its spawning time on his line? No, he was after all, fishing in a legal area. If multiple catches of spawners become a concern during the last portion of the season, perhaps the angling community wants to advice the ministry to keep certain section, ie. the upper river, closed to avoid such catches?