Free: Contests & Raffles.
So the season for sturgeon in he lower columbia has all but been shut down. The incidental by catch of sturgeon in the commercial nets should not be allowed. No sport season because lack of fish. But the netters sure can keep the incidental bycatch.The argument about the native nets is a stupid argument. Look at the smelt on the lower river. Commercials taking a majority of the run for what? And we had to get the esa listed to keep the run for being netted to extiction. It isn't just about salmon and steelhead.
Have you seen the tribal nets with your own eyes and the sheer quantity of them....there is no way leavin g theem and removing the others is going to have as great an impact as you seem to think....i support removing all nets otherwise I might support banning all fishing to remove all nets maybe make the columbia draw permit only
I'm for removal of the Snake River dams. Bonneville and the Dalles..........not so much.
State Fish and Wildlife is looking to make its cuts with a reduction of hatchery production.Hatchery fish represent more than 75 percent of the fish caught in Washington.Potential cuts include salmon production at the Stevens Creek Hatchery on the Humptulips River near Grays Harbor, eliminating all fall chinook production, and a 75 percent cut in coho (970,000 down to 240,000)."We're looking at a volunteer cooperative that may be interested to help us with mass marking as well as a host of other different volunteer outreach activities," said Ron Warren, a state Fish and Wildlife fish program manager in Montesano."We've also continued talks with the Quinault Nation, and they've engaged us in trying to resolve this," Warren added. "None of us want to make these cuts, so we're doing everything we can to make those options actually happen."
Key provisions of the new policy, available on the commission’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission, call on the department to: Increasingly focus state commercial and recreational fisheries on the harvest of abundant hatchery stocks to support sustainable fisheries and reduce the number of hatchery fish spawning in rivers. Develop and promote alternative fishing gear to maximize the catch of hatchery-origin fish with minimal mortality to native salmon and steelhead.
The policy adopted by the commission also directs WDFW to seek necessary funding "from all potential sources" to implement these hatchery-reform measures, expand selective fisheries and ensure state facilities comply with standards for fish passage, water-intake screening and pollution control.
Seek funding from all potential sources to implement hatchery reform and selective fisheries. Define "full implementation" of state-managed mark selective recreational and commercial fisheries and develop an implementation schedule. Work with tribal co-managers to establish network of Wild Salmonid Management Zones (WSMZ)1 across the state where wild stocks are largely protected from the effects of same species hatchery programs. The Department will have a goal of establishing at least one WSMZ for each species in each major population group (bio-geographical region, strata) in each ESU/DPS. Each stock selected for inclusion in the WSMZ must be sufficiently abundant and productive to be self-sustaining in the future. Fisheries can be conducted in WSMZ if wild stock management objectives are met as well as any necessary federal ESA determinations are received.1 Wild Salmonid Management Zone is equal in meaning and application to the term of ‘Wild Stock Gene Bank’ as used and defined in the Statewide Steelhead Management Plan.
Reimbursable funds from other agencies accounted for a majority of the operational budget at the Little White Salmon/Willard National Fish Hatchery Complex with most of these funds (46.3% in fiscal year 2009) coming from NOAA - Fisheries Mitchell Act appropriation. These funds reimburse the operating agencies (in this case the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) for fish production to mitigate for fish losses associated with the operation of hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River.
Treaty tribes in western Washington are assuming additional fisheries enhancement responsibilities to preserve hatchery programs in danger of closing because of cuts to the state budget.
Quote from: Curly on October 19, 2012, 11:34:29 AMI'm for removal of the Snake River dams. Bonneville and the Dalles..........not so much.They all have to be removed to be beneficial to the salmon.. again, it seems you guys are not for the fish, but for a larger allotment for sport fishermen... What is the matter? Do not want 600.00 electric bills? Come on, it is for the Salmon...And again, if you are not going after ALL the nets, the commercial guys will still get my support. At least they are working for a living, and creating a few jobs along the way.Not saying, I get this share because I am born a certain race.... and I deserve it because my ancestors fished that river.... .Gill nets are gill nets... does not matter if they belong to a Native or a Commercial Fisherman... they both kill indiscriminately, so there will be sturgeon and wild fish killed.. does not matter which net they are caught in.
Don't we have biologists to figure all this stuff out? This is a rather complicated issue, I think I'll leave it up to those who are educated on the subject and those who have or are doing the research.So what do the biologists say?
