An undeniable number backed argument to send to your state reps:

After the BPA gets about a 22% ESA impact allotment on the native Col. springers next year we sportfishers should be 50/50 "sharing in common with" the Tribal netters about an 8% ESA allocation. As for this remaining 8% allowable ESA impact as it now stands (I think it was 9% last spring), the Col. Tribal Indian netters got almost all of that last spring! And remember that they connot fish selectively because their nets kill all native fish tangled in them. It is undeniable that us sportsfishers should get our Treaty called for half of this allocation; thus a 4% impact on ESA fish. Estimates of next year's run is between 300,000 to 600,000 fish. Let's err on the conservative side with the 300k number. Biologist's estimate that 5% or less of the run is the ESA protected native fish. That's 15,000 native fish. The Indian's, and sportsmen's, allowed 4% impact would thus be 600 fish each. If 1 out of every 20 sportcaught fish is a native, then even in the absurd hypothetical scenario that all of them caught and released died, then we should still have a 12,000 fish Col. mainstem quota coming. HOWEVER, the extensive study proven fact is that we kill less than 7% of those released ESA natives. That means our fair allotment of ESA impact of 4% is only 3% less that the 7% mortality rate on released springers. Then take into account that sportfishers have rarely ever gone above a 30% interception rate on any run of salmon or steelhead (according to expert fish biologist and former head of the ODFW Jim Martin). It's obvious; we couldn't come close to taking our fair 4% ESA impact allotment even if allowed to fish the entire run thru! (30% of 300,000=90,000 fish caught at the highest end of likelyhood. 5% of 90,000 is 4,500 native fish caught and released. 7% mortality of 4,500 natives is 315 fish; well under the 600 ESA impact due us). That means an unrestricted finclip harvest season for the entirety of the run is what we deserve of our paid for fish! We deserved it last year too. Furthermore, the 1974 Fed. Court revisions to the Judge Belloni and Judge Boldt decisions of the late 60's indicated that if one side of the Indian or non-Indian user groups took more than their 50% share of the fish in a given year that it would be made up to the under harvesting side the following year. Under those directives, with the Indians getting almost all of last spring's impact harvest, the sportfishers should not only get all of the hatchery fish we can possibly legally catch, the Col. Tribal Indians should consider buying us a whole bunch of farmed salmon to distribute to us as well. Of course we won't hold our breath for that to happen; and we don't need or want that to happen. But if we aren't given our FAIR QUOTA of next year's Col. springers then whoever is to blame for that travesty had better hold their breath ... and their ears! And be concerned for their jobs! - RT