Here's my contribution.

This email is in regard to the proposals for setting of fishing seasons, mostly in Area 9.

I'd like to say that, from the outside, it seems that this year's season-setting process seems to be trying to balance science and fishing opportunities. In that regard, I'd like to bring some "local knowledge" into your season setting process.

I support the proposal to keep fishing open through April by closing boat fishing in July. I can assure you that even when trying NOT to catch chinook, and trying to target coho, at times it is futile-- there is no way to selectively fish for coho when fishing from a boat.

I can also assure you that shore-based fishing is completely different. The shore fishing is amazing in that it is effective for coho but hardly any chinook are caught. The catch rate probably exceeds 15 coho per incidental chinook, based on my non-scientific observations. It might even be higher.

Furthermore, unlike boat fishing, fishermen from shore can release fish unharmed much more successfully. I fish both from shore and from a boat, depending on the fish and the time of year. I've seen a lot of native coho released from the beach and I can tell you from experience it is much healthier for a fish than to be released after being caught in a boat. Think of the success that steelhead fishermen have releasing wild steelhead. That is because you are in the water with the fish, able to land it without a net, and revive it.

I also strongly support restrictions on fishermen in boats to not allow to them to net fish that must be released. Fish that are to be released should not be netted, brought on board, or handled any more than they have to. It has been a continual frustration in the selective coho fisheries that I would see people net the fish first, check for the adipose fin later.

I understand that you might not be able to model the impact from beach fishermen since you do not know the fishing pressure, success rate and rate of bycatch of chinook. I disagree. You have the data from previous years that show you both the fishing pressure and catch rate. I would assume that you also collected data on the variability, because the catch rate seems to vary a lot between years.

It seems that you could provide the season, monitor it, and have your fish checker on the beach (who is at Marrowstone Island and Point Wilson a lot, based on my experience) keep tabs on bycatch. Allow a very small number of chinook for bycatch mortality. If for some reason, people begin to catch chinook, then close it. It could work just like on the Columbia River, where things are monitored based on pre-season assumptions (in this case, very low to no bycatch), and if the assumptions are not met (such as chinook are being caught from the beach), you close it.

To summarize, this letter is being written in support of the original proposal, as I understood it--to close boat fishing in July, to keep fishing open in April for blackmouth, and to leave beach fishing open in July while the boat fishing is closed. If this cannot be done this year, I hope you communicate just what information would be necessary for upcoming seasons to improve your models.

Thank you