Damn, RT; that was a long one, I hope I got the point of what it was you were trying to say. I dont have a problem with Superfly, Ive been cussed at and about so many times, it's a lot like water off a ducks backside. You guys should have worked for my former boss. He tried, but there was never any fresh meat in any of the chunks he bit off my backside.
The way I see it, this Geedub bizness is all sort of premature. Yeah, he owes big oil, and he'll probably be able to pay off. Partisan politics really won't have a big role in what happens next, it'll probably be sold in the name of "National interest" in some manner. (There's a energy shortage at the moment).
What I have a problem with is the fact our own representation doesnt appear to give much of a damn about the dwindling native or even hatchery fish, (not just steelhead), and they arent even willing or dont have the courage to pursue federal support for better treaties about the high seas fishery, or to take a stronger stance on the existing treaties.
I saw a blurb in the Olympia fishwrap that the Nisqually is under emergency closure for chum, (A little late?), and WDFW is claiming the problem is ocean mortality. Spin job. Seems that seals are entering the rivers to hunt, probably because there's no food in the salt. Where are the fish? Netted by the international fishery.
Why does this happen? There's more big$$$ involved, and we get the hind teat. All the blather about habitat remediation and preservation that spins up the liberal population and has created such a buzz for the media only sells airtime for the electronic media and pulp for the newsprint producers. AND grows more fish for the short term international fish market, but noone is paying attention to necessities of preservation of the species (like reduced harvests, etc), because of the smoke and mirrors in the political arena.
There's the heart of the matter, as I see it.
Sport fishery is the tail end of the fishery based economic food chain, and will continue that way, (how does it feel to be the red-headed step child?) unless we can find a way to get the attention of big business or big politics. No-one in the power brokerage in either DC or Oly cares enough or has enough interest to head off the impending disaster, so long as the tax revenues continue to roll in from the commercial fisheries.
WDFW and their protective efforts are a joke, (once again as I see it). They regulate the sport fishery, because that's really all they can do. If there was no sport fishery, they would be disenfranchised, and subsequently, unemployed. As long as there's a closed loop in Oly, that will never happen.
Ah, hell, I'm rambling, and venting again. Happy New Year everyone, Go catch fish tomorrow, if you can find'em.