I'm an ex-commercial also, just so you know my perspective. I quit 18 years ago because it's not the kind of life I wanted as a husband and future father, not because of it's effect on the resource.

I don't blame the industry itself, I blame the government agencies that don't have the balls to stand up to the corporations standing to lose millions to legislation. Very few harvesters of natural resources (as a population) are going to volunteer to give up their livlihoods. Just ask a logger. It has to be legislated, and it has to include special rights groups (native Americans, for example).

I see a lot of comments on this board and others that imply that commercials don't make a living at it and they only do it so they can get a tax break for their gear and boat. That may be true in some fisheries, but I also know many guys that still make good money, still have record setting seasons, in fact, and LOVE THE WORK and couldn't imagine doing anything that they like more. They bust their asses, risk their lives, leave their wives and kids for months at a time (and struggle with that decision), and consider what they do as an honorable profession. They're not all sporting evil grins and speculating on how they can rip off the system. I don't expect anyone to sympathize with them, but don't make them out to be evil doers. They like their job. They may wish not to see what's inevitable, but that's where good science and legislation need to step in.

The various commercial fisheries are in different states of repair, and should be dealt with differently, from all-out condemnation to limited entry, and include buy-backs as incentive. For instance, I know I'd put up some cash to help eliminate the Puget Sound commercial (especially if it includes natives) seine fishery. Who else would?