Check

 

Defiance Boats!

LURECHARGE!

THE PP OUTDOOR FORUMS

Kast Gear!

Power Pro Shimano Reels G Loomis Rods

  Willie boats! Puffballs!

 

Three Rivers Marine

 

 
Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#136896 - 01/23/02 02:53 PM Bill to end HC fishing
jonbull Offline
Fry

Registered: 04/19/01
Posts: 24
Loc: Olympia
Bill Eickmeyer is the sponsor of this bill that will shut down all sport and nontreaty commercial fishing in the Hood Canal. Reps Sump, Jackley, Rockefeller, Doumit, Haigh, Pearson and Grant are co sponsors.

Rep. William Eickmeyer eickmeye_bi@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Phil Rockefeller rockefel_ph@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Bill Grant grant_wi@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Kathy Haigh haigh_ka@leg.wa.gov


AN ACT Relating to limitations on fishing for salmon and other depressed fish stocks in Hood Canal; amending RCW 77.85.010; adding a new section to chapter 77.85 RCW; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

1. NEW SECTION. Sec. The legislature finds that the summer chum salmon (Onchorynchus keta) evolutionarily significant unit of Hood Canal within the Puget Sound chinook salmon (Onchorynchus tshawytscha) evolutionarily significant unit is in danger of extinction, and that other stocks of salmon and steelhead in Hood Canal have been drastically reduced. The legislature also finds that other species of fish, including ling cod, black cod, perch, and smelt, have been greatly depleted in the waters of Hood Canal. The legislature recognizes that volunteers have restored miles of spawning and rearing habitat for these fish, but this pristine habitat is largely unused because of insufficient numbers of fish returning to spawn. The legislature finds that a temporary closing of this body of water to fishing would help restore the natural balance of all these species.


1. Sec. RCW 77.85.010 and 2000 c 107 s 92 are each amended to read as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Adaptive management" means reliance on scientific methods to test the results of actions taken so that the management and related policy can be changed promptly and appropriately.
(2) "Critical pathways methodology" means a project scheduling and management process for examining interactions between habitat projects and salmonid species, prioritizing habitat projects, and assuring positive benefits from habitat projects.
(3) "Habitat project list" is the list of projects resulting from the critical pathways methodology under RCW 77.85.060(2). Each project on the list must have a written agreement from the landowner on whose land the project will be implemented. Projects include habitat restoration projects, habitat protection projects, habitat projects that improve water quality, habitat projects that protect water quality, habitat-related mitigation projects, and habitat project maintenance and monitoring activities.
(4) "Habitat work schedule" means those projects from the habitat project list that will be implemented during the current funding cycle. The schedule shall also include a list of the entities and individuals implementing projects, the start date, duration, estimated date of completion, estimated cost, and funding sources for the projects.
(5) "Hood Canal coordinating council" means the council of governments created within Kitsap, Jefferson, and Mason counties as provided under chapter 39.34 RCW.
(6) "Limiting factors" means conditions that limit the ability of habitat to fully sustain populations of salmon. These factors are primarily fish passage barriers and degraded estuarine areas, riparian corridors, stream channels, and wetlands.
(((6))) (7) "Project sponsor" is a county, city, special district, tribal government, a combination of such governments through interlocal agreements provided under chapter 39.34 RCW, a nonprofit organization, or one or more private citizens.
(((7))) (8) "Salmon" includes all species of the family Salmonidae which are capable of self-sustaining, natural production.
(((8))) (9) "Salmon recovery plan" means a state plan developed in response to a proposed or actual listing under the federal endangered species act that addresses limiting factors including, but not limited to harvest, hatchery, hydropower, habitat, and other factors of decline.
(((9))) (10) "Tribe" or "tribes" means federally recognized Indian tribes.
(((10))) (11) "WRIA" means a water resource inventory area established in chapter 173-500 WAC as it existed on January 1, 1997.
(((11))) (12) "Owner" means the person holding title to the land or the person under contract with the owner to lease or manage the legal owner's property.

2. NEW SECTION. Sec. A new section is added to chapter 77.85 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The Hood Canal marine sanctuary is created within the geographic area covered by the Hood Canal summer chum salmon evolutionarily significant unit. The sanctuary is bounded by northwest corner of Kitsap county and runs due west to the shoreline of Jefferson county and claims all waters south of that boundary. The sanctuary is designed to protect, preserve, and fully recover in the following order:
(a) Summer chum salmon, chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead;
(b) Herring, smelt, ling cod, perch, and black cod; and
(c) All other species of aquatic animal and plant life indigenous to Hood Canal, except shellfish.
(2) The fish and wildlife commission, in coordination with the tribal comanagers, must prohibit any harvest of summer chum, fall chinook, or coho salmon, or of steelhead, in Hood Canal and its tributaries until such time as the runs have fully recovered and can sustain such a harvest without impairing future production. Nothing in this section is intended to impair any tribal treaty fishing right. Tribes are encouraged to limit the harvest of these fish until they are fully recovered.
(3) By July 1, 2004, the department of fish and wildlife, in coordination with the tribal comanagers, must develop a definition of full recovery as it is applied to summer chum, chinook, and coho salmon and steelhead. This definition must be based on the most recently available scientific data and be based primarily on a field inventory count of escapement in all spawning tributaries. By October 1, 2002, the department must provide a complete inventory of all streams in the geographic area covered by the summer chum salmon evolutionarily significant unit. The effort to define full recovery and to identify all of the streams must include the participation of the Hood Canal coordinating council and of the Hood Canal salmon enhancement group.
(4) The department of fish and wildlife must authorize the use of remote site incubators to enhance summer chum salmon production. The department, in coordination with the Hood Canal salmon enhancement group, must:
(a) Identify sites on tributaries of Hood Canal that would be suitable for the placement of remote site incubators; and
(b) Place the incubators in suitable locations and manage the incubators as necessary.
(5) The department, in coordination with the Hood Canal coordination council and volunteer groups, must direct efforts toward ensuring that suitable habitat in the watersheds covered by the summer chum evolutionarily significant unit is used by summer chum salmon.
(6) The Hood Canal coordinating council must report to the salmon recovery office as provided in RCW 77.85.030 on the status of summer chum runs after the harvest prohibition has been in place for two generations of summer chum salmon. The first report on summer chum returns must be provided no later than December 31, 2007, and the second report must be provided no later than December 31, 2011. At such time as it is determined that all species of salmon and steelhead have reached full recovery, the department of fish and wildlife must submit a report to the legislature with a recommendation to change the designation of sanctuary to a designation that would allow controlled harvest.
(7) The department of fish and wildlife is authorized to extend the same protection to those waters outside of the marine sanctuary as defined in subsection (1) of this section that enter into Hood Canal as to Hood Canal or its tributaries.

3. NEW SECTION. Sec. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.


--- END ---

Top
#136897 - 01/23/02 03:18 PM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
ltlCLEO Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 06/15/01
Posts: 1119
Loc: brownsville wa.
I for one am not totally against it,yet!

Top
#136898 - 01/23/02 03:33 PM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
GutZ Offline
The Original Boat Ho

Registered: 02/08/00
Posts: 2954
Loc: Bellevue
If it's gone this far, perhaps this is whats needed. Drastic Times Require Drastic Actions. Perhaps "Those who were here before us" will curtail some of there activities also.
_________________________
It's good to have friends
It's better to have friends with boats
***GutZ***

Top
#136899 - 01/24/02 12:28 AM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
Anonymous
Unregistered


This pet Bill has been introduced every session for at least 3 years. Not the answer and also shows a lack of knowledge. Examples: mentioning depressed stocks of Black Cod...there never was any fishable stocks; herring stocks have been kicking butt for the last 7 years; perch...shoot they're doing just fine...just isn't that much habitat...never was; Ling Cod...well the guys experts are welcome to a couple of free trips with me this coming season; smelt...well it ain't fishing...maybe he should look at all them rich property owners that insist on bulkheading their beaches so they have one.

So all that's left is salmonids. Well them threatened summer chums are doing fine...on the increase since fishing them was restricted....so that problem is on the mend. Chinook...well blackmouth have always been excellent if we could fish them. River fish...well the RSI program seemed to be working gangbusters until politics took a hand. Steelhead...also bouncing back slowly...an RSI program with nates would sure speed it up if we got results similar to the chinook program. The habitats there just no fish. Just don't see the problem.

Gooose rolleyes

Top
#136900 - 01/24/02 12:31 AM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
Periwinkle Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 06/15/01
Posts: 286
Loc: Mill Creek, WA
When you see something like this the first question you should ask is whose pocket is Rep Eickmeyer in? Who were his biggest campaign contributors, etc. etc.?
Does the WA Dept. Fisheries support this?
It might be a smokescreen. Maybe somebody like Weyhauser (sp) wants top develop a chinook net pen fisheries oe released fisheries project and doesn't want 'fishermen interference'....
You've got to look under the rocks to see the 'worms'!
I don't trust politicians, and there is probably a hidden agenda here!!!!
Hell, maybe it's submarine base security related.

Where are you "Special"????? rolleyes confused
_________________________
Tip Up ---- 'Peri'

Top
#136901 - 01/24/02 12:41 AM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
RPetzold Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 11/04/99
Posts: 1143
Loc: Everett, Wa
Quote:
Originally posted by Periwinkle:
Where are you "Special"????? rolleyes confused


Who me??? You want my opinion on this?? or were you reffering to 'Special Intrest' as in where is the 'Special Intrest' in the proposed bill?

Well first I must say that I am not well versed in this bill as my reading this thread became the first time I had heard of such a bill or even an idea.

Is Hood Canal in that poor of shape that we need to close ALL fishing??? I seriously do not think so but maybe there is a biologist somewhere out there that understands the problems facing Hood Canal...

But my biggest problem with the bill is that it is not based upon science!!...This decision should be made by the WDFW and their biologists and not politicians!!

[ 01-23-2002: Message edited by: RPetzold ]
_________________________
Ryan S. Petzold
aka
'Sparkey' and/or 'Special'

Top
#136902 - 01/24/02 01:02 AM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
Salmo g. Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 13521
Right on, Ryan! This bill isn't based on science, therefore, just what is it based on?

Many wild runs are depressed in Hood Canal due to overfishing with the co-mingled hatchery stocks. How many "wild" fall chinook actually ascend the Skokomish? Those wild spawners are predominately hatchery strays, because the wild fish have been over-harvested. It is impossible for wild runs to thrive when they are subjected to hatchery harvest rates. Hood Canal fisheries management is changing with respect to protecting wild runs, and given enough protection, they will bounce back to whatever the remaining productive capacity of the habitat it. Minus the inevitable losses due to MSY/MSH, however.

I only support legislation or initiatives when the WDFW won't bend to the task of doing its job of resource stewardship. The state has become increasingly responsive, due in part to the ESA listings. But progress is progress. I'd give 'em a while longer before having the legislature manage fisheries. The legislature is totally lacking in competence for such matters. And for most other matters, as well, unfortunately. Sorry for editorializing, but my experience with legislators is that they are dumber than a box of rocks about many of the issues they make laws about.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Top
#136903 - 01/24/02 01:10 AM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
Anonymous
Unregistered


Sorry but politics of a pluralistic society is calling the shots on this one. It's called "feel good" decisionmaking. The only strong emphasis seems to be a heavily engineeered and highly expensive habitat solution to problems on the HC. Amazing how certain problems such as marine mammal predation and effects of commercial fishing are totally ignored in restoration plans.

gooose rolleyes

Top
#136904 - 01/24/02 01:16 AM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
spawnout Offline
Spawner

Registered: 01/21/02
Posts: 845
Loc: Satsop
There are some wierd things going on in Hood Canal - we have some a couple of rivers with 90+ percent of the watershed in federal ownership and most of that in the park, with some of the finest and most consistant water quality and flows anywhere, and the estuaries of these river are owned by the state and are also nearly pristine with ample wetlands. Looks like ideal salmonid rearing habitat, yet no salmon or steelhead seem to be able to repopulate them.

There is one species which has, however - harbor seals. There are so many in Dosewallips state park that beaches are closed to shellfish harvesting due to high coliforms deposited by seals. Seals have no natural enemys other than orcas, and orcas no longer enter Hood Canal, likely because they are deterred from swimming under the Hood Canal Bridge for some reason - either the forest of anchor cables looking like a net to them, or the noise of traffic or creaking pontoons transferred into the water and fouling up their sonar - for whatever reason they refused to enter the Canal after the bridge was built, until 1981 when the bridge sank. They sure nailed the seals for a couple years after that - I watched it myself from a cabin near Eldon - and in 1985 we had such an amazing return of hatchery steelhead to the Duck that it was totally beyond belief and completely out of line with anything I have seen before or since in 30+ years of fishing that river. When the bridge went back in, the orcas stayed out, and the seal population skyrocketed again after that.

Now seals alone are not going to be able to wipe out a run of returning fish - they fill up too quick and most adult salmon and steelhead get away. What I think is happening that is damaging the runs is that they are feeding on smolts, and particularly big, confused hatchery steelhead smolts. Seals feed heavily on schools of baitfish, so they certainly can do the same to schools of salmon smolts. And in the spring feeding opportunities are limited - no big runs of salmon, herring and surf smelt have already spawned, etc. Those schools of foot long hatchery hot dogs are just the thing to fill the freezer as far as a seal is concerned.

None of this is addressed by closing a fishery. It is made even worse by dumping more eggbox fry into the river to create dense schools easily exploited by predators. And this is just conjecture anyway - brought up as another theory to explain the sorry HC situation. It is interesting that WSDOT is planning on replacing the Hood Canal bridge soon - what would it take for them to consider making it orca-passable?
_________________________
The fishing was GREAT! The catching could have used some improvement however........

Top
#136905 - 01/24/02 01:20 AM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
plug puller Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 09/09/01
Posts: 400
Loc: At FL410
Durring the summer I fished it quite a lot, my parents live on it and I do during the summer. I did well on hatchery coho. Accually very good. What is going to happen to the hatchery programs if this happens? Hoodsport, Quilcene ect.?? Do the indians still get their 50%? There are many unanswered questions here. They say indians will cut down. Well, how much? Will they still be able to throw the silver and chum carcasses in to the salt water? Before they make decisions they need to get strict rules down. For EVERYONE to follow. I remember about 10 years ago while waiting for the bus I would see so many commercial netting boats that I lost count. This year there weren't very many.
I don't know if I am totally against this also. I see that there can be some good that comes out of this and also some bad.
Salmo g, I value every post you have and find them very knoledgable. You always seem to know your stuff. Just thought I would add that. smile

Top
#136906 - 01/24/02 07:59 PM Re: Bill to end HC fishing
Never Enough Nookie Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 08/05/01
Posts: 306
Loc: Bremerton
I saw this yesterday and thought it was to crazy to post on. I guess if we ignore it, it will go away. The reality is that people from Seattle have as much of an idea as these legislature dorks about what is really going on over here. The HC can and will be a strong producer again someday and we do not need to get rid of fishing to do that.
How many people caught and kept an adult Chinook last Summer/fall in the north part of the HC, I would hope this would be Zero because it was not open. The same could be said about Summer Chum and Pinks. These fish were most definately there and yah some poachers kept them at the Salsbury launch and the Bridge but closing the fishery will not eliminate those scum. A little side tracted, but the point is we do not fish for them now anyway, the only ones that do are the tribes. They will deny it but go to Big Beef Creek in August and September, watch them Beach siene and kill all those accidently caught Female Kings and Female Summer Chum, mad while trying to catch the wild Silvers strictly for eggs, you can watch them from the highway.

This past year the Pink run was boarderline good enough to support a small fishery, the hatchery and wild Coho run was incredible, The stealies are coming back, Summer and Fall Chum were everywhere. I'm not saying we should be fishing for these off one good year. But there is no need to take matters out of the control of WDFW.

Here is an Idea lets start Ad clipping some of those fish that leave hoodsport and the Skok hatcheries and open up the canal to a hatchery only harvest. Ohh wait then the tribes can prove that they are catching wild fish, not just unclipped hatchery fish. mad mad mad

The canal could be a destination to fish someday if we could keep some politics out and the Fish Managers in.
Sorry to go on so long, just frustrated. OK let me have it.

NEN cool
_________________________
Never Enough Nookie

Top

Moderator:  The Moderator 
Search

Site Links
Home
Our Washington Fishing
Our Alaska Fishing
Reports
Rates
Contact Us
About Us
Recipes
Photos / Videos
Visit us on Facebook
Today's Birthdays
CHUBS
Recent Gallery Pix
hatchery steelhead
Hatchery Releases into the Pacific and Harvest
Who's Online
0 registered (), 939 Guests and 1 Spider online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
John Boob, Lawrence, I'm Still RichG, feyt, Freezeout
11498 Registered Users
Top Posters
Todd 28170
Dan S. 17149
Sol Duc 16138
The Moderator 14486
Salmo g. 13521
eyeFISH 12766
STRIKE ZONE 12107
Dogfish 10979
ParaLeaks 10513
Jerry Garcia 9160
Forum Stats
11498 Members
16 Forums
63773 Topics
645302 Posts

Max Online: 3001 @ 01/28/20 02:48 PM

Join the PP forums.

It's quick, easy, and always free!

Working for the fish and our future fishing opportunities:

The Wild Steelhead Coalition

The Photo & Video Gallery. Nearly 1200 images from our fishing trips! Tips, techniques, live weight calculator & more in the Fishing Resource Center. The time is now to get prime dates for 2018 Olympic Peninsula Winter Steelhead , don't miss out!.

| HOME | ALASKA FISHING | WASHINGTON FISHING | RIVER REPORTS | FORUMS | FISHING RESOURCE CENTER | CHARTER RATES | CONTACT US | WHAT ABOUT BOB? | PHOTO & VIDEO GALLERY | LEARN ABOUT THE FISH | RECIPES | SITE HELP & FAQ |