In these discussion I often see references to the commercial fishery or the commercial fishery industry. In reality what is really under discussion is the non-treaty SALMON commercial fishery.

The commercial fishery industry is a large and diverse business that is a significant contributor to the State's economy. The non-treaty commercial salmon fishery is but a tiny portion of that overall commercial industry. While some will likely try to confuse the issue by talking about the value of that commercial industry those in the recreational community would be will served in the arguments by being specific about the issue and precise in our terms.

In addition it would probably be wise to focus the prioritization of Chinook and coho for the recreational fishery. In marine waters the chums and San Juan Island sockeye typically account for approximately 2/3 of the economic value of the NT commercial salmon landings.

It has been a long uphill fight to get to this point in this debate and the reality is it will likely drag beyond this legislative session. Success over the long term may well hinge on the recreational community's ability over the long haul to educate the legislators by being both concise and precise in our arguments.

Some of my thoughts.

Curt