WDFW amends four Sportfishing rules

[Antlershed]

Increase to two sturgeon annual limit for the remainder of 2014, but they axed shark fishing...

http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/mar1513a/

[mallard79]

      

They even did it in a conference call! Didn't have thw guts to stand in front of the people who this affects! 

[cohoho]

Wow, just when I was ready to book with 7gilloutfitters, been discussing it all week my buddy about why he ought to go with me and now he is ready.  That sucks.  Adding the limit to two fish is also BS, make it C&R NOW before they are gone... 

[Antlershed]

Oops...the "but" should have been "and". I agree Mike, sturgeon should be cnr now!

[7GillOutfitters]

This is not over yet, we will see what this means for me tomorrow.  By listening to the commissioners they are still on my side, lets see of the agency, continues to play games or if we have to take it up a notch.  We still have a few wild cards in our deck.  You see we have gain some pretty big friends in the shark community, some of which have been featured on many episodes of Shark Week.  They are not happy at this point with what the state is doing to us.  They feel our research work is very important, and love seeing average citizens, take charge to protect the creatures we love.  We will soon see if it is going to take unleashing the dogs on these people make them understand what is right.

[cohoho]

Go get em for sure, If you have a letter already done up, I would like to also send it in.

[singleshot12]

C&R only isn't really the answer either. I know of guys who c&r all day long catching 40-50+ fish a day and will admittingly tell me 1 or 2 out of that swam off and died. And that doesn't count for the exhausted ones that become easy prey to the sea lions.
I vote for them being left alone by all users completely until we can have have self sustained c&k again. For most of us sturgeon fishers it is just not feasible with gas,bait prices etc to just go out and get a sore arm with no dinner to show for it

[Curly]

I don't understand what they are thinking by outlawing C&R shark fishing. It makes no sense to me why they would shut it down like that? 

[buckhorn2]

Locals have been catching seven gill sharts in Grays harbor for years. As far back as the 80;s under the elk river bridge by Brayds oysters you could catch them till your arms fell off also over by the humptulips channell off the ocean shores air port. It just came to everyones attention when all the willipa bay news got out. The state biologists only know what someone else wrote in a book they had to read. It;s like white sharks in both of those bays if you don;t think they are around here stop in montesano and look at the ones caught here. Great they muight let someone catch them for a study but it damn pisses people off that have done it without broadcasting it all over now we are done.

[sirmissalot]

C&R only isn't really the answer either. I know of guys who c&r all day long catching 40-50+ fish a day and will admittingly tell me 1 or 2 out of that swam off and died. And that doesn't count for the exhausted ones that become easy prey to the sea lions.
I vote for them being left alone by all users completely until we can have have self sustained c&k again. For most of us sturgeon fishers it is just not feasible with gas,bait prices etc to just go out and get a sore arm with no dinner to show for it

C&R is just the next step to a complete shut down in the fishery... for the sporties. There lies the problem. This is a mess.

[singleshot12]

C&R only isn't really the answer either. I know of guys who c&r all day long catching 40-50+ fish a day and will admittingly tell me 1 or 2 out of that swam off and died. And that doesn't count for the exhausted ones that become easy prey to the sea lions.
I vote for them being left alone by all users completely until we can have have self sustained c&k again. For most of us sturgeon fishers it is just not feasible with gas,bait prices etc to just go out and get a sore arm with no dinner to show for it

C&R is just the next step to a complete shut down in the fishery... for the sporties. There lies the problem. This is a mess.

What it all boils down to is that there is a "Market" for sturgeon. There wouldn't be a problem or a mess if they were de-commercialized and then properly managed for licensed hook and line fishermen to catch. And also when is this state ever going to figure out that it is the sportsman who puts the $ back into the economy not the commercials. Just another example of what is wrong

[singleshot12]

but we as "sportmans" still refuse to stick together and be a "voice" when our way of life is threatened. There are more of us than them and why we never come more together and become more politically involved i'll never know . All I know is the commercials have the loudest voice and usually always win, and all we do is complain when it's gone!
I support CCA (COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOICIATION) because that is basically ALL we have going for us on our side! But apparently only about 1 out of 500 hundred sporties is a member of CCA and actually supports them? Go Figure!!!