I think it would be pretty easy to find out if the Gill Netters association has a scholarship fund, and what their policies are regarding disbursement. Just call them. That would answer a lot of questions.

However, I also don't think the association is behaving nefariously in granting such aid, or the recipients in accepting such aid, if they in fact have a program. It's a free country. No-one thinks it wrong if the commisioners sport fish, do we? It's certainly evidence of a prior relationship with the industry, but it's hardly on the order of sleeping with little boys in terms of relative evil.

The one thought I have on this is simply this: If you have a concern about this issue, the straightforward way would to call the commisioners and ask them. Heck, if you want to have fun, do the homework for a newspaper reporter, feed them the results, and have them make the call.

But in the name of being fair, and in protecting your own ability to generate impact on future issues, I suggest you ask the people directly and let them answer. If you don't, and god forbid your information is wrong, then you run the risk of simply spreading potentially baseless rumors. If that were the result, your efficacy on working future issues would be impaired.