Salmo g. wrote:

"I feel like none of us is capable of getting Jeff Koening's attention in a constructive way."

Hmmm...I'm thinking of one right now...

"There is one party that can: the State Legislature."

...and it's a different party than that one...

"Koenings will be very responsive to funding cuts by the Legislature. That's the only place we can reach him, in my estimation."

...I'm thinking of a different type of funding cut, rather than cutting WDFW's budget...

Cut his.

Time for Jeff to go...I'm sure there is an agency out there somewhere that is looking for a director who would like to funnel as many of the resources as possible into the commercial fishing industry...maybe he can go back to Alaska...somewhere where there are more fish than fishermen, where his style of resource extraction would work...well, it would work for a little while, and then everything would come crashing down there, too.

I hear that the Indonesian commercial fishermen need some help getting their industry back on line after the tsunami.

I think I've got their guy.

Barring that...there's always Burger King.

Time for a new Director, and new top brass...time for the Governor to take a firmer hand with the Commission, and time for the Commission to start being the independent policymaking body that is supposed to be, rather than the meek rubber stamp that it has become.

A few new Commissioners, an immediate motion to send Koenings packing...far...along with several others, most of which have "Deputy" or "Regional Director" on their office doors...and a directive to the Commission, from the Governor's Office for sure, and perhaps from the Legislature if it becomes necessary (it may already be) to DO YOUR DAMN JOBS and give policy guidance.

The next time Reg. 5 Commercial Fishing Mouthpieces Cindy LeFleur and Guy Norman come to the Commission and say "we want to triple the ESA impacts on listed steelhead", along with their biased, inaccurate, and policy-ridden Dog&Pony Show, send them home with directions to actually acquire the information that is necessary to make the decision, along with all the reasonable alternatives, and we'll tell you what to do...you don't tell us what you want to do, and nothing else.

Salmo, what do you thing of paid staff for the Commission who helps them to independently investigate the issues involved in making policy decisions, rather than the Commission having to get that information, very biased, only from the Department, and only what is in support of what the Department wants to do?

Sort of like a federal judge's team of law clerks?

Decisions shouldn't be based on "our science" vs. "their science"...they should be based on what the science IS.

Also, I agree that it is well nigh time that the state hold the tribes accountable for their duties and obligations under the Boldt Decision, too...they stand in our stead to do so, and they have completely dropped the ball, knuckling under to every demand by the tribes, and failing to keep the tribes within the guidelines that federal law does give them the right and duty to keep them within.

If the tribes aren't playing fair, then go into the federal courthouse and get an injunction to make them stop. Period.

Fish on...

Todd