Silver

Those are certainly valid concerns, but one has to ask themselves, can we afford not to try something new. Can we continue to sit back and wait for another ten years until every stock of salmon and steelhead become listed, and then all of our fisheries are curtailed?

The commercial salmon fishery is a dieing trade, and must move on. We known it, they know it, so why prolong the inevitable? It appears to be buyout money that is holding back the downfall of the smaller commercial fishermen from giving up there next to worthless business. One would think that when they are forced to spend huge sums of their own money fighting off a winless battle, that they would cave in. After all, what will their booty be? Even if they were to beat off such and initiative, what's their financial gain? What possible future would be on their horizon for them to spend even more of their lost dollars, for a trade that will only last for a few more years at best?

At some point, those commercial fishermen will realize that it is the big processors that are making out like kings, while the fishermen are slowly dieing off, one by one each season. How long do you think that these few large processors can keep these guys in the dark? Sooner or later, there will be that "straw" that will break the camels back, and I personally think that an initiative to reclassify salmon to become a "sport fish" would be that straw!

I known that the utilities would give us money to support such an initiative, and it shouldn't draw to much fire from the environment groups either. Other such initiatives in the past were attacked, or were not supported by many large environment groups such as American Rivers because it interfered with their own agenda. They were selling to habitat and dam removal as the cure to our declining salmon runs. They were convinced by the commercial fishing lobbyists that the "ban the nets initiative" would not cure the dam or habitat problems. Those issues are what keeps many of these environmental jobs and funding going, and are center to there survival. Personally, I see no conflict that can be made this time, on this issue, between the two. Even if there was one to be made, they would look pretty stupid in the eyes of the public if they were to appose such an effort at this time.

I believe that if sport fishers were to set down and write out a well thought through initiative, and showed the public how it would benefit both the fish and the economics, people would support it. Many years ago, I learned that to do nothing is the worse possible thing that a person can choose to do. I also learned that failure is not the final word either! Learn by your failures, and try, try, again until to finally win. We have learned by our failures in the earlier net initiative campaign, and the time is ripe for this idea to become a reality!

All of your concerns can and should be covered in a well written thought out initiative. All we need to do is to organize and start the ball rolling. It shouldn't take to long to figure out any unforeseen problems once the ball starts to roll! That is why I am trying to get any possible "negative points" bought out early, so we can see if such an initiative has enough merit to continue to keep moving foreword. Again, failure is not an acceptable option, and we must continue to get those damn nets out of our rivers! Personally, I would like to see a small group of our members do a little "brain storming" first on the "negative possibilities" and then have them look at how those "negative" issues could be resolved!

I am a little surprised that we have not gotten any more impute-be it good or bad, from some of our other popular members who have both the time, experience, knowledge and the ability to do so!

So Far, only Silver Hilton and Salmo G has stepped up and contributed to how this idea may or may not become a reality. We got guys that have come out of the closet; we have guys that work for the state and federal fishery agencies who have vast knowledge about our fisheries; and we hundreds of others members who can contribute there opinion and thoughts on this issue, and yet they just lay-back and say and do nothing!

This is probably one of the biggest reason why fishermen can never come together and unite.

Salmo
Thanks again for your early impute and support on this issue! I known that a lot of members really respect your opinion and vast knowledge of our fish and our resources. I known that this issue is a tuff one to resolve, but to sit back and to do nothing, is not in my genetic makeup

Any more help or impute from you will be much appreciated by me….and it might even get you a few more of my "jig heads"


Cowlitzfisherman