These so-called New nets are supposed to help the survival rate of wild fish after being netted. They are experimental for now. Supposedly they are being used in Canadian waters with great success.

On the flip side of the token, they are saying commercial fishermen will be able to use these nets in U.S. waters to target hatchery fish in areas where they are not allowed to fish right now because of the ESA, or low returns of native fish.

With this in mind, there has been speculation that commercials will be able to put sportsfishermen right out of the game by sucessfully netting larger amounts of hatchery fish in turn reaching the area quota before sportsfishermen even get out on the water.

The reason being in Canadian waters where they currently use these new nets, test sports fisheries having been showing very high trends of native fish and hardly no hatchery fish. In turn alot of areas that usually are open to fishing in Canadian waters this year are off limits to us sporties.

Knowing this is the case already in our waters with the test fisheries before the opener. It is the opinion of a growing group of people that recreational fishing might be put out by the nets.

Some folks already think that test fisheries are just an excuse to open an area of fishing so the state can get us out on the water and make revenue off license fees and other taxes.

Let me add more fuel to the fire. I fished Neah Bay 3 weeks ago. We caught an average of 7 native fish to one hatchery. This is the result of one of these Canadian "new-net" fisheries that took place off of Tenino in B.C. 2 weeks prior.

Usually when I've fished Neah, its the other way around.

what do you think?