Paranoid- conspiracies, you tell me!

Recently, I have been contacted by several different people who know an awful lot about the Columbia River and the commercial gill net fishery. For obvious reasons, I am keeping there identities private, I have assured them that I would not reveal there personal identity or names, buy if I was to say there names, you would surly know who they were! They are very well known among both the sport fishers and the fishing tackle industry. So if you disagree with what I am about to tell you, please don't scream at me about being Paranoid or making up some kind of new conspiracy about WDFW. I am only the messenger!

I do believe that what they have told me does have some merit and even makes a lot of sense!

These persons have asked me, to ask our board a few questions concerning this issue. They would also like to see if any of our board members may have any additional information concerning this issue. So if you are one of our members who work for, or with our fishery agencies, please do not take this as a personal attack. I am only the messenger!

I do not know if this information is even verifiable, so you will have to take it for what it is worth! Even though I can not verify it, it really begins to makes a lot of sense the more one begins to think about it. I know that it does happen in numerous other jobs, occupations and positions, so it certainly is conceivable that it could have, or has occurred here too.

I have been told by some very reliable names in the fishing sales business that this has occurred, especially on the Columbia. Its concerns some of the key decision making people who work for the fishery departments, who are now "calling all the shots", on the Columbia, and are pushing for the continued gill net fishery on the Columbia River. I was told that a "few key people" had received funding from the Gill netters association years ago when they were getting there educational degrees in fisheries. One has to ask; if this was to be true, would it not be a "conflict" of interest under state law?

Maybe… and maybe not!

Did the gill netters figure out a way to get around giving states employees "gifts" to get what they want by giving the "gift" to the person before they even became a state employee? Did some of these employees get there educational needs funded by the "gill netters" before they even went to work for our state fishery management jobs on the Columbia? Every sport fisher knows that the gill netters have always been free with there money when it comes to making law or rules that benefited their fishery, so why wouldn't they have groomed there own people at an early stage to get their ways in the future?

Assuming that these alleged persons were probably not even state employees at the time; would it be "ethical" or legal now to allow them to continue to be so darn partisan now when it comes to making commercial harvest decisions for the Columbia River? I know it certainly wouldn't apply to 99 % of the states employees, but it only needs to apply to just a few key people to get the effects that the gill netter needed. Since most of our members are anonymous by there real names, do any of you known anything about this? If you do know something about it, and you do not wish to post it on this thread, could you please send me a private email. I will not give out your name, but I would like to reveal any information that you may have concerning this issue.

Maybe these well known people are just blowing in the wind, but one has to wonder why a few key people in our fishery department keep pushing so darn hard for the gill netters in the Columbia River. So without getting mad at me, what is your opinion, and what if anything do you know about this issue?

Remember, this is not a witch-hunt; it's just trying to see if what I am being told is fact or fiction. Again, I am only the messenger!

If this information turns out to be true, what can we do to reverse it?

Thanks ahead of time




Cowlitzfisherman