I disagree, in that you can select for a particular species. Just change the net mesh size.

The problem lies when species are approx the same size.

I'm not arguing, I'm just being specific and trying to get *something* out of this B.S. in Fisheries degree. Gillnets are very selective - that's all I was pointing out. I'm not arguing the good/bad issue.

4Salt - I watched the nets fish for 3 days and never saw 1 king come out of the nets. That's pretty much the definition of "selectivity".

Do some kings end up in the nets - you bet. No way a "football" king won't escape the nets - they are too close in shape to your average Red. The nets were placed very close to shore and at a very shallow depth - all measures to reduce the incidental catches.

Let's flip that around. Double the mesh size and I'd be willing to bet you'd get almost 0 sockeye and footballs caught in that net. Sure, all the 30-50 pound kings would be dead, but you've selected for larger kings and not sockeye. Gill nets are painfully selective for size....which can be related to species.

We do know for a fact that a good portion of big kings hit the nets, get tangled in some form or another, and drop out. Some say that's as high as %25. Hard to prove either way when you never recover a drop out fish.

We did see many massive wholes in the nets - probably from big fish smashing their way through. Those fish probably died as well.

The problems with nets are that they are indiscriminant and very selective. It's the indiscriminant part that we all have a problem with.

Let me just point out that there are more serious issues with the Kasilof. How or why the state can say there are no 2nd run kings in the Kasilof is way beyond me. No one really knows what happens to those kings as they net for the reds, as no one has studied it. No one knows what the 2nd run king population is, let alone if it can sustain a fishery. Someone needs to sue the state and get an injunction to stop all netting near the Kasilof so the fishery can be studied. Granted, doing so is about the same as signing your death warrant, so I can see why not many of the Kasilof guides are willing to jump right in on this issue. I don't think I'd want to piss off that many commercial netters.

I've been on the Kasilof way too many days when the nets have been out fishing. Funny how the river goes from full of kings to damn near empty. If the fish are not showing up in the nets, where do they go and what happens to them? We just don't know..and that's not a good thing!

Don't get me wrong. I don't like nets or the commercial boys. I was just stating my case for "selectivity".

Parker

[ 08-09-2001: Message edited by: parker ]