MasterCaster

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Slug and others … If I am smoking something….

Why do you some of you think that these well known people approached me? Why do some of you think that I told you that I was only the messenger?

It sure seems strange to me that both Jerry and Bob allowed a thread to be held at the top of this board for weeks concerning the unfair distribution of spring chinook that was now being proposed by the Columbia River Fish Managers to the commissioners. Some of you are probably still scratching our heads and can't understand why these "fish managers" are doing it! Did you guys read what the fish managers are proposing? I can't remember the name of that thread, but it was just removed recently (what was it Jerry?)

Just for the sake of debate; do any of you really think that this particular person(s) who may be involved in this is really going to tell you or me that it was the gill netters who paid fort there college degrees? Maybe some of those "degrees" were even gotten while they were employees of the state! Since neither party are governmental or are public agencies, your not going to get that information through doing any public information act (PDA) request. Getting that information from them would be like spitting into the wind!

I suppose one of the reasons why I was asked to bring this information to people's attention was probably because they knew that I was not going be insulted by some of your replies. It's pretty common when something like this first breaks to criticize the person who is "messenger". That really doesn't bother me much because in this case, I believe that it probably did occur and people need to UNDERSTAND why we continue to allow the gill net fishery on the Columbia River.

People need to know; has this really occurred, or if its just someone pi$$ing in the wind and making a bunch of unfounded accusations. Someone needs to start the ball rolling on this issue, and I guess I was apparently chosen to be the one. Am I being used? Maybe!

Do I believe that this is possibly one of the reasons why certain fish managers continue to favor the gill net fishery on the Columbia? You bet I do! Why do you think people like Salmo G has bad-mouthed the Region 5 mangers so many times on this board about there outdated and unnecessary need to continue to have a gill net fishery on the Columbia River? He is not against using gill nets where gill netting makes sense. Can any of you critics explain that one? Is Salmo wrong too?

Before people can fight an issue, they must first fully understand what they are fighting, and what they are up against. If these allegations are true, it's just one more piece of and unsolved puzzle that now begins to fit into place, and brings together the "bigger picture" of why we are still allowing a gill net fishery to continue on the Columbia. WE all known that economically, the gill netters can not possibly compete with what the sport fishing industry now brings into our states economy, so why are the scales still being allowed to be tilted so far over to left to the gill netter side? WE all known that the "tangle nets" were a huge failure, and they killed large numbers of listed and endanger steelhead, but yet the gill net fishery still goes on and on.

Don't you ever ask yourself why?

Like I said, I do not known if this information is 100% fact or not, but looking at the above facts, one can certainly come to such conclusions! I got the impression from talking to these people that there is more to come, and that this information was just the first of something bigger and better. What that may be is only known to them. But if nothing else happens, I would think that these people will now know, that we know, and just maybe they will think a little deeper and harder about how they are giving favor to a dieing way of harvesting fish on the Columbia River.

Silver Hilton

What you have said about asking people for information sounds really good in a "perfect world". The facts are; we do not live in a perfect world, nor will people freely give or tell you what you want to know about there lives or their personal finances. I can give you no better example than when I wrote a thread not to long ago (Find out what state employees make-WDFW) that gave out a " web site" location that slowed what our state employees were making. Even though this "information" was all "public" information by law, some people were outraged and offended that WE (the public) could be allowed to know what WE were paying each individual person! Some of the people that were outraged, were not even state employees! There were so many complaints, that the website location was even pulled from the thread!

Now can you even imagine what those employees who may be in question would say if they were to be ASKED; WHO funded your education, and exactly HOW MUCH FUNDING did they give to you? Maybe you ought to go back and reread some of the anger that was expressed and said over just knowing "what each individual state employee" had made!

Now do you still think that they would freely give out the information that you have suggested to ask them for? I am also just as sure that these people who may have been funded by the gill netters never-ever talked or discussed how that funding was to be repaid back either!

Like I said, Silver, I am not saying that this information is true or 100% factual. I am only the messenger on this issue, and I believe that more is being developed by the same people who approached me on this issue as I write! I am pretty sure that there is a lot more going on then what I was told, and only time will tell

What was that famous old movie called….was it…. the Devil and Mr. Jones?

PS; Mirco, the gill netters took you off there list a long time ago...I think your about 3 pages behind me!

Well, maybe not off all of their lists!


Cowlitzfisherman