The reason I696 didn't pass, and the reason none of this will ever change, is that sportsman as a group can't organize themselves enough to speak in a powerful voice. Money talks, [Bleeeeep!] walks. The commercial fishing lobby has lots of the former. The tribes have lots of it too, regardless of their unemployment rates. All we as sportsman have is the latter. Their are some fishing groups out their that are headed the right direction, but they are still small, as is their voice and pocketbooks. Would someone please take Gates or Allen out and get them into fishing!! UnfortuNETly, another problem with organizing fishermen is that there is a lot of us (not on this board) that don't abide by the rules. The same goes for hunting. Hunting as a recreation is slowly dieing all over the country because sportsman can't organize enough to make their voice heard. To tell you the truth, the stuff I see people do in the woods every year make me wonder who exactly I'm fighting for. Am I fighting for the guys who have four 2 point bucks hanging in camp opening day in a 3 point minimum area? Am I fighting for the guy spreading cracked corn all over the week before turkey opener(seen'em both)? Am I fighting for the guys jigging for fall chinook in the Columbia, snagging 70% of their fish? Am I fighting for the guy that clubs 2 steelhead in a closed area during salmon season(seen this, too)? This is why the cause IS HOPELESS.

[This message has been edited by backlash2 (edited 03-08-2000).]