Humptulips Hatchery shut down (WDFW threatens)

[grade-creek-rd]

Ok, so since I jacked the thread about a Humptulips King, I figured I better just start another one...so, here's the deal. WDFW was told to cut their budget (again) and so they decided to announce that they are cutting back, or even closing the Humptulips Hatchery...This Hatchery supports a river that starts putting out salmon in Sept. all the way through the end of January with a special late coho run that is fantastic past Christmas...it also provides fish for commericial netters in Grays Harbor, and the local Native American Tribes that net it down low. Then the sporties get to fish it up higher...all 3 "user groups" are affected by this one decision on one river...pretty smart political ploy by WDFW to get all of us upset at the Governer, who is hitting WDFW hard. Yet, their going through with things like a deep bore tunnel in Seattle, while letting criminals out of jail to cut DOC budget as well...

So, now is the time for all of us to band together (sporties, tribes, commercials) and tell the Governer (and most importantly state legislators) to leave budgets of DOC, WDFW, Public Schools and such alone and go after things like DOT, DOE, etc...or heck, even make the law makers and Governer herslef take a pay cut!

Sorry for the rant, but we are losing out big time on this one...Gray's Harbor needs our dollars, but if there is no reason to go there, then we won't and that means no local's keeping afloat from tourist...

Oh, and here is a good report from NWS Mag on the Humptulips..in case you have never fished it before, get down there!

http://nwsportsmanmag.com/2011/10/20/deer-schmeer-hit-the-hump/

G-C-R

[PolarBear]

That sucks!  The Hump is my favorite river! 

[bowtech721]

That would suck pretty big time lets just hope it doesnt go through i guess.... 

[Button Nubbs]

been hearing that same rumor. aint gonna happen when there are 77 rigs at ryvans on opening day.

[buckhorn2]

They need to get rid of half the biologists and they would have enough money to run the hatcherys. We don;t need 800 biologists if we don;t have fish and the wolf problem will take care of the game so whats to check. If you look down the river and see all the nets the indians may have a say in this.

[oldcamper]

I wouldn't wory about Grays Harbor. The new Bio Fuel plant they are going to build there will give people a source to earn a living. Wether you like it or not cuts have to happen. How about the Casino's try supporting their local economy with funding for the hatchery. Why should the guy in someplace else Washington pay for the Humptulips.

 Ok, enough of the other side view. Now what are they thinking? To not fund something that creates a revenue source based on Fishing Lic, Fuel tax at the stations in the area of business, Bait sales the list goes on and on. Its not a big employment source for the gov, but its a huge tax/revenue source. They just don't think. 

[jumpin]

There at the local store near the hatchery the have a petition to sign. Be sure to check it 

[BigGoonTuna]

i think a big part of it is just saber rattling to divert our attention from the other places they're going to cut.  willapa bay rivers are probably going to be hit hard in the next round of hatchery cuts.

i live 8 miles from the lower river and don't fish it that much.  unemployment's high so you can't even go down there on a weekday morning before work without the place looking like blue creek.

[PLUVIUSWAPITI]

BigGoonTuna, There is a proposal also to shut down the Nemah Hatchery.

[BigGoonTuna]

that wouldn't shock me too much.  not much of a salmon fishery there(salmon deadline is a ways below the hatchery, and everything in the legal salmon fishing area is private and heavily posted).  it does produce a lot of the willapa bay salmon, though.  doesn't ever seem to have much consistent steelhead fishing these days either.