Originally Posted By: Lucky Louie
Boater,
There has been some concern that with out commercial fisheries on the CR there wouldn't be as much funding for hatcheries and maybe hatcheries closed down according to some on recent threads.
Would that really happen in your opinion?


On the Columbia River- no way. That argument doesn't hold water.

Just look at who is harvesting the lion's share of in-river fish. THE TRIBES. Production will continue for them, irregardless of sport and commercial fishing.

The Federal mitigation continues whether there is no in-river commercial fisheries, or no in-river sport fisheries for that matter.

Then there is the hatchery production to meet the US agreements for sport and commercial ocean fishing from the mouth of the CR all the way up to the Gulf of Alaska.

The Columbia gillnetters are such a tiny portion of the whole CR fish harvest.
_________________________