These comments to the Commission were forwarded to me. This gentleman and myself differ on issues at times but he is one I have the greatest respect for as he always tried to do right by fish & users. A quality seldom seen anymore.


Dear Commissioners
My name is XXXX and I have sat on the WDFW Chehalis and Willapa Basin Advisor Committees representing the recreational fisher since their inception, stepping down in 2017 due to my wife’s health issues. I have testified at numerous of your meetings in the past. Here I sit at 3AM this morning writing my comments to you, where I could not sleep because of the dire decline of fisheries in this state, and I had to get my thoughts put out, otherwise I would be guilty of being the quiet minority.

My concern now is the Willapa Management Policy, which is directed by the Hatchery and Fishery Reform Policy that was implemented in 2009. In my years of sitting on this advisory committee, I and others have voiced our opinion to WDFW staff’s direction of management in that it was not working. To their credit, they were working within the direction guidelines of HSRG. But, that direction has ruined one of the greatest recreational salmon fishing areas on the Pacific coast. It has killed businesses in Tokeland and devastated the recreational and commercial fisheries in that area.

Taken from this policy, -- “The objective of this policy is to achieve the conservation and restoration of wild salmon in Willapa Bay and avoid ESA designation of any salmon species. Where consistent with this conservation objective, the policy also seeks to maintain or enhance the economic well-being and stability of the commercial and recreational fishing industry in the state, provide the public with outdoor recreational experiences, and an appropriate distribution of fishing opportunities throughout the Willapa Bay Basin.”
This above policy has not worked, and as I understand, both HSRG and WMP are now under review. I urge you to carefully investigate beyond WDFW’s recommendations for the review/revision of the above policies.

If this was a private business and things were sliding downhill at the rate this fishery has, management/ownership would have re-evaluated it a long time ago. I have seen a remiss in WDFW upper level management, for not recognizing this issue and bringing it forward to you, our Commission long before now. At the last advisory meeting in Montesano 1-23-2019, every advisor spoke up about it not working. WDFW staff admitted they were using flawed data in the computer model that is GOD in this instance. I, as a non-member now, also spoke out during the public comment period. My thoughts were basically, “HSRG management has killed the Willapa fishery. It is past time to review it, and if at all possible rescind it on appropriate watersheds in this state, namely the Willapa and Cowlitz basins where there are no genetic WILD salmon stock left anymore, and under it’s management the production of hatchery fish has been lowered to meet the HSRG requirements. A way better and cheaper idea would be to turn these basins into hatchery management only.” Just the word CONSERVATION scares me as it will always take something away from us all.

Don’t get me wrong in thinking that I am anti-commercial in this area. We need the commercial fleet if hatchery production is increased to bring back our fishery. It has been my observation that LESS than 10% of any fish are a willing biter for the recreational fisher. We recreationals CAN NOT catch anywhere close to 50% of the allocated fish even if the season was lengthened and given a VERY GENEROUS bag limit. The commercial fleet is needed HERE as a mop-up to keep down the hatchery surplus returns.

One example of HSRG malfunction is when WDFW changed the river designations and made the Willapa River as PRIMARY. This river has no weir, nor hatchery on it, therefore CAN NOT control any fish passage. Natural and Hatchery fish can spawn together in this whole river (which the biologists consider a NO-NO). Forks Creek hatchery is approximately 26 miles upriver from the mouth of the Willapa and only attracts it’s output of fish, along with some strays. In designating the Willapa primary to qualify under HSRG, WDFW cut Forks Creek hatchery Chinook production from near 3.5 million to 345,000, which brought the desired WILD numbers into line. They then also changed the basin to Aggregate designation, which allowed some rivers to fall way below required returns. And they called it MANAGEMENT ?

I could go on and on as to examples but do not want to burden you with an old man rambling on. If you have a problem, you can’t just try to throw money in that area and hope it will improve. With the state of affairs now, our legislature is getting tired of everyone repeatedly asking for a handout. In my mind, the problem is pretty clear, let’s solve the problem. The issue is that I will not live long enough to see any results.