Post by: Antlershed on February 26, 2019, 06:59:49 PM
Quote
Today, a joint-state committee of Oregon and Washington fish and wildlife commissioners voted 4-2 to recommend a return to non-tribal gillnetting in the lower mainstem Columbia River during the spring and summer seasons and an increase in mainstem gillnetting during the fall season.
The recommendation to undo the 2012 bi-state Columbia River gillnet reforms comes as Columbia River salmon and steelhead returns have plummeted in recent years – leading to recreational fishing closures throughout the Columbia River basin. The vote also comes at the same time WDFW and ODFW are asking their respective legislatures to reauthorize the Columbia River Basin Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement paid for by recreational anglers. WDFW is also seeking a recreational license fee increase.
The recommendation will now go to each state’s fish and wildlife commission, which would have to modify their policies/rules to reverse the Columbia River reforms, return gillnets to the mainstem, and reduce recreational fishing opportunity.
The Washington Commission will be meeting in Spokane on March 1-2 where we expect Washington Commissioner Don McIsaac (Hockinson) to push for their adoption – hundreds of miles away from most of the fisheries affected by the decision. The recommendation would also make barbless hooks “voluntary” in Columbia River recreational fisheries – a clear effort to distract anglers from the vote to undo the bi-state fishery reforms and harm our fisheries.
With the 2019 spring chinook run projected to be below 50% of the ten-year average, and summer chinook forecasted to barely meet escapment, a non-tribal gill net fishery on the lower mainstem Columbia River would be extraordinarily reckless. The fall chinook forecast is equally poor, and with record low returns of wild steelhead over the past two years, mainstem gillnetting could further erode many struggling ESA-listed stocks.
CCA will be sending out more details and action alerts shortly, so stay turned for more updates. The votes were as follows:
Yes – McIsaac (WA), Kehoe (WA), Buckmaster (OR), Akenson (OR)
No – Graybill (WA), Webber (OR)
Post by: jeffitz on February 26, 2019, 07:10:14 PM
Post by: branches on February 26, 2019, 07:13:44 PM
Post by: ASHQUACK on February 26, 2019, 07:19:58 PM
Post by: NorseNW on February 26, 2019, 08:22:52 PM
Amazing that this is the only river in the World that is still commercially netted.
Post by: X-Force on February 26, 2019, 08:47:53 PM
Post by: MtnMuley on February 26, 2019, 08:58:03 PM
Post by: Mtnwalker on February 26, 2019, 09:11:08 PM
Post by: huntnphool on February 26, 2019, 09:28:22 PM
Post by: Antlershed on February 27, 2019, 04:59:58 AM
In my opinion, if their nets should be pulled out, then all nets need to be pulled out. :twocents:I agree that all gillnets should be banned, and SB 5617 could have potentially accomplished that had it not been amended before it was passed out of committee. However, we have been fishing with barbless hooks on the Columbia as a concession ever since the Columbia River plan was agreed to, as well as Oregonians have been paying a CR endorsement that was designed to be used to get the gill nets off the CR (our CR endorsement came long before the CR Gillnet Reform).
Post by: Skyvalhunter on February 27, 2019, 05:20:09 AM
Post by: Stein on February 27, 2019, 07:53:37 AM
Sure, we would love to pay more to get shut out.
The only answer is to cut their funding. Please consider what you buy from them this year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 27, 2019, 08:19:04 AM
Amazing that this is the only river in the World that is still commercially netted.
Wrong...... Chehalis River still commercially netted, Willapa River, still commercially netted, Yukon River, still commercially netted, Deep River, still commercially netted, Fraser River, still commercially netted, Youngs Bay still commercially netted. Naknek River still commercially netted. Copper River, still commercially netted. Kuskokwim River, still commercially netted.
Post by: Mfowl on February 27, 2019, 08:50:33 AM
Post by: Badhabit on February 27, 2019, 09:06:01 AM
Post by: huntnphool on February 27, 2019, 09:28:02 AM
Amazing that this is the only river in the World that is still commercially netted.
Wrong...... Chehalis River still commercially netted, Willapa River, still commercially netted, Yukon River, still commercially netted, Deep River, still commercially netted, Fraser River, still commercially netted, Youngs Bay still commercially netted. Naknek River still commercially netted. Copper River, still commercially netted. Kuskokwim River, still commercially netted.
Are all those rivers netted, or are the mouths of the rivers netted?
Post by: SkookumHntr on February 27, 2019, 10:47:05 AM
Post by: huntnnw on February 27, 2019, 10:31:25 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 28, 2019, 07:41:41 AM
That's some crazy talk right there. Would the non-Tribal gillnetting season coincide with the Tribal gillnetting season? Once quotas are reached then all nets come out? Personally, I would rather see an escapement quota reached for each run and then allow gillnetting.
Agreed. And one thing I will say, Washington sets their escapement quotas way too low. Possibly because there are so many users squabbling over the crumbs. The other pink elephant in the room is hatchery fish. It's hard to get good numbers on wild fish when they are mixed in with hatchery fish in the main stem of river systems. until they get to their brood streams. By then it's too late to give more or less opportunity. Alaska has used sonar for counting escapement for many years but that won't work with hatchery fish in the mix.
Post by: ASHQUACK on February 28, 2019, 06:57:35 PM
Post by: Stein on February 28, 2019, 07:26:02 PM
That's some crazy talk right there. Would the non-Tribal gillnetting season coincide with the Tribal gillnetting season? Once quotas are reached then all nets come out? Personally, I would rather see an escapement quota reached for each run and then allow gillnetting.
Agreed. And one thing I will say, Washington sets their escapement quotas way too low. Possibly because there are so many users squabbling over the crumbs. The other pink elephant in the room is hatchery fish. It's hard to get good numbers on wild fish when they are mixed in with hatchery fish in the main stem of river systems. until they get to their brood streams. By then it's too late to give more or less opportunity. Alaska has used sonar for counting escapement for many years but that won't work with hatchery fish in the mix.
Don't worry, the Orca Task Force will take care of the problem of hatchery fish being in the mix.
Post by: Badhabit on February 28, 2019, 07:40:29 PM
Post by: fowl smacker on February 28, 2019, 07:42:39 PM
Never a better time to join CCA, there fighting for us recreational fisherman!Used to be a CCA member. Quit giving them money a couple years ago. From what I can tell, they haven't done crap for OR or WA. Maybe I'm wrong, but not seeing results. I've decided not to purchase my license at ALL this yr. Time to let the $ do the talking.
Post by: Stein on February 28, 2019, 08:01:08 PM
Never a better time to join CCA, there fighting for us recreational fisherman!Used to be a CCA member. Quit giving them money a couple years ago. From what I can tell, they haven't done crap for OR or WA. Maybe I'm wrong, but not seeing results. I've decided not to purchase my license at ALL this yr. Time to let the $ do the talking.
I'm with you, although I decided to buy less - no CR endorsement or freshwater, only saltwater and only after the seasons are announced. Also, instead of buying everything for the entire family, we will probably only buy half of what we did last year. For hunting, probably 1/3.
I truly believe that this is the only avenue. We can attend meetings, send our money to any group you can name and none of that has done anything. They sit by and clap at the Orca Taskforce, the governor, special interests and anyone other than the biologists or the source of the vast majority of funding - aka hunters and fishermen.
Post by: castie2504 on March 01, 2019, 01:01:04 PM
Post by: Stein on March 01, 2019, 05:25:12 PM
The story they are telling is that even with increased netting, the sports win and the commercials lose.
The good news is that barbless would move to voluntary.
Post by: Antlershed on March 02, 2019, 04:46:44 PM
http://nwsportsmanmag.com/wdfw-fish-commission-adopts-columbia-subpanel-reform-recommendation/
Post by: Stein on March 02, 2019, 05:45:36 PM
....and here it is. :bash:
http://nwsportsmanmag.com/wdfw-fish-commission-adopts-columbia-subpanel-reform-recommendation/
Quote
I suspect the people who fund this agency will be in revolt until this shameful vote is overturned.”
Let's hope so. Gentlemen and ladies, there is no other solution. How much fishing and hunting opportunity are you willing to lose before you take action?
The commission published blatantly false information showing that there will be no loss to sportsmen days on the water, but failed to mention that they plan on taking 12.5% of our quota. We all know there are not many chinook available and we just lost bigtime.
The only way to get the message across is to cut funding by not purchasing as much as you did last year. Think about what you could do without this year, or at least delay it as long as possible.
Post by: Tinmaniac on March 02, 2019, 07:35:49 PM
Post by: Stein on March 02, 2019, 11:47:46 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Blacklab on March 04, 2019, 04:31:18 PM
Post by: ASHQUACK on March 04, 2019, 05:55:26 PM
Funny that they would allow barbed hooks again.Barbless hooks were supposed to decrease fish mortality.Not sure how it is on the Columbia but seasons are closed early due to fish encounters,not actual numbers of fish caught.Seems to me they will change the formula used to determine fish mortality due to the perceived notion that there is higher fish mortality when barbed hooks are used.
Post by: fowl smacker on March 05, 2019, 04:46:00 AM
Post by: BigGoonTuna on March 05, 2019, 06:48:18 AM
Post by: WSU on March 05, 2019, 10:03:12 AM
Why? Because WDFW fisheries management is run by dip*censored*s with no spine. But hey, at least this all coincided with a year the hobby netters can have nice mop up coho fishery. Too bad for the endangered B run steelhead, chinook, etc. that will be slaughtered in the process.
Post by: MtnMuley on March 05, 2019, 10:17:57 AM
Salmon management is a train wreck. WDFW management has had years to implement these changes, all with funding agreed to by the rec community. They enabled an obsolete industry and, now that they did nothing, implementing the policy will be painful. Rather than make everyone take their medicine, which they've known has been prescribed for years, we trash thousands of hours of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars in dollars spent.:yeah:
Why? Because WDFW fisheries management is run by dip*censored*s with no spine. But hey, at least this all coincided with a year the hobby netters can have nice mop up coho fishery. Too bad for the endangered B run steelhead, chinook, etc. that will be slaughtered in the process.