Todd

Thanks for answering!

I will just make the standard quote marks on this thread, so that you will be able to read what I am quoting! My last quotes were just repeating what you had said earlier and I think that you were able to siphon out what they were, so I will go on to what you have said now.

Todd, you say; " How in the hell can you have an "experimental" fishery and leave it up to the fishermen to report how successful it is or isn't at being selective?"

That is simple to answer! You just continue to do business as usual, and allow the gill netters to break the federal ESA, and turn your head, just like WDFW, NMFS and ODFW has done for the past 10 years!

That is what this thread is all about! Before the internet, we depended on the local news and press to tell us, or question what the hell was going on. Most of the time politics came into play, and we never herd a word about this stuff until it was long gone and over with! Now with electronic mail age, we all know what is going on in seconds, if we choose to know!

You say; "Call me cynical, but I don't forsee any commercial fishermen reporting that their net killed too many listed steelhead, and recommending that the fishery not take place any more."

You are not "cynical", you are 1000% right! Maybe we should save the state 10's of millions of more dollars each year, and eliminate all those state troopers who are out there to oversee and "verify" our honest efforts to stay within the legal speed limit when we are driving!

Todd, as it stands right now, "food fish" are being treated differently then "sport" fish when it comes to state law. So why shouldn't "food" fish be treated the same way by commercials gill netters as it is to sport fishers? These "salmon" are "food" fish and not sport fish, so why should the commercials be treated any different? A food fish in the water must legally be treated the same way under the current law and mandate of WDFW and the Commission.

You say; "However, the reason for passing such a law is NOT because sporties have to do it...the reason is that if they can do it and it works, they should do it. It's not a double standard or fairness issue. It's a biological issue...if they can do it and it helps, then they should do it for the good of the fish, not because we have to do it"

AS it stands right now, "food fish" (salmon) are not classified as "sport fish". The law for "food fish" (salmon) is different then those of the "game fish", so any law that is passed concerning the release of "salmon" must also apply to the laws that relate to "food fish". In my opinion, any law passed on releasing a salmon, must also apply equally to both the commercial and the sport fishermen.

Finally, I want to comment on your last statement when you said; "Comparing sport regulations to commercial regulations is comparing apples and oranges. ons that we have to put up (mainly good and necessary regulation Making regulations that make sense biologically independently for both groups…"

Many of our fishery laws have 0, that right, 0 biological grounds or foundation to stand on! Just look at all the current laws/wac's that relate to the commercial fish industry in our state. They were put there by special interests when they were made, and we are still dealing with there results today. Why don't we make every fish law stand the test of "biology" now, and get ride of the ones that can't pass?

I know you’re a very sincere person who cares about our resources and fish, so why can't we all get it together and make those much needed changes?

The past three years have seen experimental tangle nets on the Columbia financed by the NW Power Planning Council (our own money). In 2001 there were problems with the experiment design. In 2002, the use of 5 ½ inch coho nets resulted in unacceptable numbers of wild steelhead being caught. In 2003, both traditional gill nets and 4 ½ inch tangle nets again caught too many ESA listed Snake River springers. Each year there is some new complication that ends up costing sport angler's fish and fishing opportunity.

There are at least 550 lower Columbia River gill-netters in Oregon and Washington. When will sport fishers unite and take the actions that must be taken? Are we doomed….not if I can help it!

Cowlitzfisherman