i really wish i could figure out what the state is trying to do and what it's goals are. are they purposely trying to knock our wild fish runs down? and why?

the other thing that bothers me if this proposal is implemented is why even bother to have public comment on decisions the department makes. at the public testimony in vancouver, it was over 2 to 1 against increasing the kill (and nobody from the olympic peninsula testified on behalf of increasing the kill, only I-5 corridor guys), and i've heard the written testimony was even more heavily weighted against these proposals. i can understand dismissing the public if the public wants to destroy a resource... but the testimony just wants the state to continue to protect wild fish on these rivers.

sounds to me like since shanks was fired, everybody in WDFW has reverted to old form, and the resource is solely for those who prefer to harvest fish, and the actual resource isn't given any weight over special interests. the biologists just can't seem to figure out that the models they use have been responsible for much of the failure of anadramous fish runs in washington. how many more failures must they cause before they get a clue?

if the kill limits are restored to their pre-current regs level, it will take a herculean effort to ever get back to the regs we now have. remember how hard it was to get these regs in place initially... it was a tough fight, but at least the department then had some brave souls on the commission who actually listened to the public who wanted more protection for wild fish. now, our voices have been muffled by a department who seems content to do nothing tangible in regards to saving our salmon and steelhead runs.

i'd like to ask bob gibbons how he can say the quillayute and other north coast rivers are healthy. are they healthier than other rivers in this state, yes... but the historically largest segment of the total winter-run population is in serious bad shape (the early-timed fish). i wish the department would listen to the old guys who truly know what these rivers once had and laugh at the notion of these rivers presently being "healthy".

if the proposal passes, all the hard work of people like bob and his e-mail letters and numerous others will have been wasted, not because we were a minority position, but because public comment is meaningless at WDFW.

chris