First, I need to say to AuntyM that you surely are not a politician, since you say things that make simple, common sense and also speak it with eloquence..... Now that I have that out of the way I will (as I always do) speak my peace.
1) Have any of you seen the salary of the biologists, etc. that work for the WDFW? You would be disappointed I am sure that these folks getting very nice salary/comp packages that have these fancy degrees cannot figure out how to shoot fish in a barrel (so to speak).
The last thing I want to do is hand them more money so they can hire more of these educated idiots to further screw things up with their "studies". I know they all mean well, and some probably even help, but for the most part they are their to justify a larger, costlier gov't.
I do think that fishing license fee's are not out of line, but I guarentee that giving them more will not stop the cutbacks (8.2 crabbing, etc??).
I say, start taxing the hell out of those that really do the most to deplete the resource, i.e., commercials and tribes. Now, getting again to the Tribes.... I know I am a broken record on this subject, but it is a bone stuck in my craw. Out of their 50% of the resource, how much do they pay in excise taxes and/or license fees.... Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe it is ZIP..... Being an "Soveriegn Nation" and all, they are not responsible for the taxes that ordinary citizens are, yet they take 50% of the resource, use the boat ramps and public facilities, well, you get the point. This is pure total BS as far as I am concerned. We are ALL AMERICANS, and we should all be bound to the same rules. They want the soveriegn thing? So be it, you are on your own. No more Gov't subsidies, no more federal (BIA) dollars, no more fishing outside of your "country's" boundaries, etc.... Let's see how it goes then....

I for one believe that if anyone thinks we should pay the real cost for our fisheries dept... then fine, the tribes owe 50% of that bill.... Fair is fair.....

MC