Well here we go, the first volley is a broadside by the Oregonian, in the form of a editorial condemning CCA's plan.




Conservation group wants gill-net salmon fishing ban on ballot
By Matthew Preusch, The Oregonian
December 28, 2009, 7:02AM


View full sizeSteven Nehl/The OregonianMark Ihander gill-net salmon fishes in the Columbia River near Astoria in 2005.A conservation group wants Oregonians to vote on whether to ban gill and tangle net fishing for salmon in Oregon waters, including the Columbia River.

The proposal is the latest in a long history of ballot initiatives and legislative proposals attempting to stop commercial gill netting of the Columbia's salmon and steelhead, many of which are listed under the Endangered Species Act.

This most recent proposal comes from the Northwest chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, which hopes to have it on the November ballot. The law would not affect tribal fishing.

“Banning the use of gill nets and tangle nets and using selective gear that allows for the release of wild fish is an effective, achievable way to create a sustainable commercial and recreational fishery for the citizens of Oregon,” said Dave Schamp, chairman of Coastal Conservation Association’s Oregon board of directors and a chief petitioner of the initiative.

The text of the initiative is here. (PDF)

The nets snare salmon as they swim upstream to spawn, inevitably capturing endangered wild salmon as well as hatchery-raised fish. But the commercial fishers try to minimize their impact to wild fish, as this video from the group Salmon for All demonstrates.