As most already know the commercial fishers on the Columbia River are getting a higher percentage of the Springer quota this year.

Read the following and hope it doesnt make you as sick as it does me!

In order to obtain this commercial fishery WDF&W has applied to NOAA Fisheries to triple their mortalities on wild steelhead, a precious game fish listed as endangered. The current cap is 2%, the application is for a 5-7% cap. (over the last three years the fishery has had nearly 2:1 bycatch of wild steelhead and salmon!)

Since the commercial release mortalities are nearly twice as high as sport caught for salmon (18.5 compared to 10) there will be more hatchery fish WASTED (or on spawning beds) if we don't fully prosecute the sportfishery. In other words, the sportfishery will kill 1/2 as many wild spring chinook for the same amount of hatchery fish. Incidentally, there are few steelhead caught by the recreational fleet during the spring chinook fishery.

Write your legislators and comission now!

Just when we think we are making progress the commercials come right back at us with their unbelieveable lobbying and clout to do things the sports fishers could never do. Can you imagine the cry if sports fishers killed that many ESA listed fish? This has got to be fought to the death...The sports contingent was virtually absent at the Portland meetings due to weather and the airport closure but the commercials made sure they were there in force..They were and they got their way. I don't think the legislative folks understand much of anything about fishing other than the clout of the commercials. I would have to say that it is harder to get sports fishers to get involved than it would be for me to fly to the moon but we keep trying. If only folks would sit down for a minute or two and write a letter. To a politician a letter is worth 1,000 votes....If science was running the show there would be no way this commercial fishery would be allowed.

This is just preposterous...it makes no sense biologically or economically. Letters to your legislators and to NOAA Fisheries are the order of the day.

If anyone has the proper person/address for NOAA Fisheries, please post it...if not, I'll get it up here as soon as I can check my stuff to make sure I have it right.

Fish on...

Todd.

Write to your representatives in congress in the state and the governor.

Yes, I am sick now. Wee need to bombard NOAA with protests. Big business BS.

Just thinking out loud here. If its numbers of contacts that would get the fish managers attention would it be possible for this boards management to publish the state lawmakers e-mail addresses with a short explanation of the situation and send a blanket e-mail to all of the board members asking them to use their best judgement and contact their representatives?
I hate to say this but sport fishermen have this nasty habit of not wanting to get involved and would prefer to just sit back and gripe as opportunity slips away. Just once it would be nice to see 10% of the user group get involved.

Grandpa or Brian- I can't make the meeting in Olympia on Saturday as my daughter has a gym meet. Who can I write and email before Friday to hopefully get my voice in the meeting? This crap has gone to far and I agree that we all need to stand together.

A far more effective way to go is an ESA lawsuit. If every sportsfisherman send a boat launch fee ($5) to PSA Grandpa, could you get a fish-freindly and savvy lawyer and go after them? Get some Columbia tribes interested? Or is there another bigger organization on the Columbia that would be better? The only way to get this cr@p management stopped is to start suing unfortunately. Worked for WT to get WDFW to revamp their hatchery management, works to stop timber sales, and will work to stop gillnetting. I personally am going to save many boat launch fees this spring on all the days that will be closed to springer fishing, and I'm willing to donate it all to any legitimate organization that will sue the b@stards.

OK guys, here's a post that Silver Hilton posted on I-fish. It's got a link so you can find your local pols, and a sample letter that you can copy and paste. Lets each spend 10 minutes making it happen.


posted 01-13-2004 07:22 PM

I sent the following note to my legislators today, and to several of my friends, asking them to do the same. We can still make some noise on this side of the border, should we choose.

I'd like to ask that you each write your state congressmen. I have taken the steps to make it easy. First, go here and figure out who your representative is http://www.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx

Then, select the member and send them the following e-mail, or something similar.

See, easy! It will take you just minutes, and may help our fishing.

ATB

Clip below here.

Hi,

I am writing to ask for your support in the area of the Columbia River Spring Salmon Fishery. In the next few weeks, Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife will be deciding how to allocate the catching of Columbia River Spring salmon between sport and commercial fishermen. While the run this year is expected to be fairly strong, the season will likely be restricted for the sport fishermen, due to impacts on wild salmon that run at the same time as the hatchery salmon. The catch is allocated between sport and commerical fishermen, based on their estimated impact to wild fish. Both groups must let wild fish go, but some percentage of the wild fish will die due to handling. The sport catch mortality rate on these released fish has historically been 10% or less, and sport fishermen may be required to use certain handling procedures that will reduce this catch further. The mortality on wild bycatch by gill netters using tangle nets is 18%. The wild fish are anticipated to be about 30% of the overall run. Neither group can avoid catching wild fish - fishing by either group impacts the wild fish. However, sports fishing is almost twice as efficient as commercial fishing in harvesting the hatchery salmon within the Endangered Species Act guidelines.

Currently, proposals are on the table to allocate the impacts between sport and commercial fishermen 50-50, or possibly 45% commercial, and 55% sport. I'd like you to persuade the Washington State personnel engaged in this decision, specifically, Dr. Jeff Koenings, Director, Washington Fish And Wildlife Commission, Bill Tweit, Columbia River Policy Lead and Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River Harvest Manager, to allow a greater percentage of this catch for sport fishers. Dr. Koenig is at 360 902 2947, Mr. Tweit is at 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia WA 98501 - (360) 902-2723. Ms. LeFleur is at 2108 Grand Boulevard, Vancouver 98661 - (360) 906-6708.
Based on past history, this impact will require the sport season to be restricted sometime in mid april, right at the peak of the run. This is disastrous for sport fishermen, as the weather is just getting nice and the fishing just getting good when the season will be restricted.

It makes sense to allocate the catch more to sports fishermen for several reasons:

1) There are simply vastly more sport fishermen. Tens of thousands of sports anglers will pursue these fish, while there are only about 200 commercial fishermen.

2) Sports angling is more efficient in harvesting the hatchery salmon, in terms of the impact on the wild fish that occurs in catching fish. By allowing commercial harvest, we are in effect wasting a certain number of hatchery salmon that could have been caught by the sport angler. These fish will go unharvested.

3) The sports fishermen contribute much more to the economy per fish caught and per fishing day than the commercial fishermen do. The economic impact of sportfishing for salmon dwarfs the commercial gain from gillnetting. The commercial harvest is currently estimated to bring about $1,800,000 into the economy. Sportsfishers, on the other hand, spend an average of $100 a day for fishing. On a busy saturday in April, there will be 2000 boats fishing for salmon, with 2 to 4 people fishing. That is an estimated revenue impact of $600,000 a day. Three days of sports fishing will equal the economic impact of the entire commercial season.

4) These fish are raised to be caught. There is a large group of people that would like opportunities to catch them. Shutting down the sport fishery, which will certainly happen unless the allocation is modified, will reduce the opportunity for many people to catch these fish.

5) Finally, the commercial fishermen have been resistant to improving their catch methods to reduce mortality in the wild fish bycatch. Giving them 50% of the wild fish kill quota rewards them for not improving their catch methods and recovery tank usage.

We realize that the commercial fishermen feel vested in the fishery, and have a traditional stake there. However, in these days of declining resources, adjustments need to be made, and it is time to allow the sports fisher more access to this resource.

Please contact the state personnel shown, and ask them to weight the sport fishery more heavily in the catch allocation. We ask for a 70% Sport, 30% Commercial allocation.

Thank you.

Good work Wolverine! I urge you all to flood them on this outrage.

Thank you Wolverine for making that so easy. I didn't know who exactly to send it to so I sent it to all of them.

Took me less than 5 minutes of cutting and pasting and addressing. Sent mine now for the rest of you guys and gals.

Thanks Wolverine.

Steve

It's another outrage! Angler appathy is almost as frustrating. A few hundred letters from the active members here will do some good. Takes less time than tying leaders for the next days fishing, and it's astonishing more of you don't write in. And show up at fisheries meetings.

Here again:

Federal Senator
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Senator Patty Murray (Democrat-WA)
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-0001
Phone: (202) 224-2621
Fax: (202) 224-0238
WebSite: http://murray.senate.gov/
E-Mail : http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm

Senator Maria Cantwell (Democrat-WA)
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-0001
Phone: (202) 224-3441
Fax: (202) 228-0514
WebSite: http://cantwell.senate.gov/
E-Mail : http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.html

Federal Representative
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Brian Baird (Democrat-03)
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3536
Fax: (202) 225-3478
WebSite: http://www.house.gov/baird/
E-Mail : http://www.house.gov/baird/zipauth.htm

State Senator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senator Joseph Zarelli (Republican-018)
P.O. Box 40418
Olympia, WA 98504-0418
Phone: (360) 786-7634
Fax: (360) 786-7173
WebSite: http://www.leg.wa.gov/senate/members/senmem18.htm
E-Mail : zarelli_jo@leg.wa.gov

State Representative
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Tom Mielke (Republican-018)
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Phone: (360) 786-7850
Fax: (360) 786-1066
WebSite: http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/members/d18_1.htm
E-Mail : mielke_th@leg.wa.gov

Representative Ed Orcutt (Republican-018)
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Phone: (360) 786-7812
Fax: (360) 786-1066
WebSite: http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/members/d18_2.htm
E-Mail : orcutt_ed@leg.wa.gov

------------------------------------------------------------------------
US Representatives
http://www.oregon.gov/index.cfm?CurrPID=840

US Senators
http://www.oregon.gov/index.cfm?CurrPID=839

I think we need to focus on the motality of ESA fish and not on the fact that sports fishing is a bigger boost to the economy. They all know that and choose to ignore it. ESA mortality will catch the attention of more people outside the fishing fraternity.

The boat show is setting up now and I have to work there Saturday as many others do. Hopefully there will be enough people there to protest. I am sorry to say that I believe that WDFW will follow in the footsteps of ODFW..Oregon really changed course and caved big time to the commercial interests. WDFW always does the same.

Alright...this whole bunch of crap has got me pissed (once again) with WDFW. I'll be writing this weekend.
I HATE butting heads with that idiot-run outfit, but I guess it's been pushed in my face once too often. Time to get involved. Grrrrrr
WDFW=

Hmmm, WT likes to sue WDFW and NMFS over ESA issues. I wonder what WT's attorney is doing today?

Hay Salmo………….we are still waiting for that word file on the Cowlitz HFMP!!!

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=016261;p=2#000036

Cowlitzfisherman

When you send the letter make sure you request a reply. Here is a response I got back from my State Rep in regards to the letter:

Dear Mr. Bobber Down,

Thank you for sharing with me your concerns on sport and commercial
fishing
I appreciate you taking the time to contact me. I will consider your
views
as we work on issue environmental and quality of life issues. While
staying
within acceptable levels of fishing to maintain sustainable fish runs,
we
will try to balance sport and commercial fishing in a fair way.

Because the Department of Fish and Wildlife will be making this
decision, so
I would recommend getting in touch with them directly if you haven't
done so
already.

Sincerely,
Maralyn Chase
State Representative
32nd Legislative District
chase_ma@leg.wa.gov
206-366-2604 (District Office)
360-786-7880 (Olympia Office)


I guess she missed the point that the reason why I was contacting her instead of WDFW, was to make her aware of the immoral resource policies being administered through WDFW.

BD

Here are more pieces of contact information to use...and use often and immediately!

1. Bob Lohn, Reg. Admin., NOAA Fisheries
7600 Sand Pt. Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115-0070
206-526-6150

To send comments electronically, go here:
NOAA Fisheries Comments

2. Dr. Jeff Koenings, Dir. WDFW

Office Address:
Natural Resources Bldg.
1111 Washington St.
Olympia, WA 98501

Mailing Address:
600 Capital Way
Olympia, WA 98501-1091

360-902-2234
360-902-2947 fax
director@dfw.wa.gov

3. Lee Van Tussenbrook, Reg. 5 Director
Cindy LeFleur, Col. R. Harvest Manager
2108 Grand Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661

360-696-6211
360-906-6776 fax
teamvancouver@dfw.wa.gov

4. WDFW Commission
commission@dfw.wa.gov


This whole "tangle net" fishery is a joke to begin with...the encounter rates of wild springers and wild steelhead was unacceptable to begin with when it was set at 2%. This will just increase both the encounter and mortality rates for several runs of fish listed either as threatened or endangered under the ESA.

At the risk of sounding naive, or perhaps idealistic, this is yet another opportunity for all sportfishers and conservationists to get together and do something good.

I can't help but think that the only reason the powers that be think they can get away with this is that we have shown an insurmountable ability to find any reason whatsoever to splinter ourselves into politically weak fragments.

I urge all of us to encourage the cooperation of all the various fishing and conservation groups in this endeavor, and to not let sniping and disagreements about other issues color the fact that this will require us all to be on the same page, or business as usual will continue.

Fish on...

Todd.

Sent it to all the reps. Thinking of printing it out and sending by mail too.

Bobber Down, I got that exact same response verbatum, so it doesn't look like they are putting alot of thought into it.

In years past, the WDFW has had a booth at the Sportman's shows. If they are there, please please please, everyone stop by and at least mention Columbia River Springers and Lake Washington Sockeye. These are probably the two largest revenue generators for the State and they are messing with both of them. Be informed, and then politely let them have an earfull. It would be very impactful if all they heard about all day long were these subjects.

Todd, it was my understanding that the commercial boys are going back to the using the "old style" chinook nets this year so that they won't be taking so many steelhead this time. Are you hearing something different?

Cowlitzfisherman

You need to make it clear that there are small and large groups gathering and discussing who they will vote for in the next elections and that there voting records are being discussed at these meeting. it's what labor unions and other lobbies do. if they think you are loosely associated they blow you off. all they care about is them selves ultimately. If we could form a group with a name that is identifed with a large number of people that we could allattach to our correspondence it would help. They know we are a loose knit group or individuals who wil take a poke here and there but never follow through. That perception has to cahnge accross the board before anything else will. We need a Tim Eyeman of the sports fisherman. Someone not afraid to to go toe to toe in Oly and the media.

AuntyM..you got me thinking ..Ramon and his gang should be all over this issue....I doubt hatcheries will ever have as much impact on wild fish as these main stem Columbia River nets will....especially in light of the steelhead that will be killed ....and the commercials are seeking an exemption so they can kill 3 times as many as predicted. What the hell is going on here Ramon???????????

Washington Trout!!! Where ARE YOU???

Time to kick some A$$ in Olympia boys and girls

ttt

Who's going this Saturday?

If you can't attend this weekend, then please write some letters!!

If you attend the show, let them have it!

EVERYBODY do something, we cannot let this just happen!

Get pissed!

Check this out...this comes straight from the horse's mouth, with his permission to use both his name and his assessments in public.

I just got off the phone with Dan Rawdings, Region 5 Anadromous Fish Biologist. His assessment is as follows:

The combination of impacts from a commercial fishery that takes 5-7% of ESA listed steelhead, combined with the small but measurable sportfishing cnr mortality, will likely put the Toutle River wild winter run steelhead in JEOPARDY.

In this case, "jeopardy" means pushed beyond the point where they could recover.

This assessment was made when he was requested to comment on Oregon's Biological Assessment in regard to the increased commercial ESA impact.

This information was furnished to WDFW on 12/30/03.

Exactly how serious is WDFW about recovering wild steelhead stocks in SW Washington? I think that stuff like this speaks for itself.

WDFW is really serious about it, unless it impacts the ability to have economically viable commercial fisheries without having to make the commercial fishers more selective in their harvest of listed fish.

Maybe I'm being too cynical...am I missing something?

Fish on...

Todd.

I would appreciate it if someone could forward an electronic copy of the Jan. 2nd request By ODFW and WDFW to increase the incidental take or allotment.

Thanks

yadajr@hotmail.com

POS,

At tomorrow's hearing WDFW, on behalf of Reg. 5 harvest managers, will be requesting the WDFW Commission to submit the proposal to NOAA/NMFS Fisheries.

If the Commission gives the go ahead, then WDFW will petition the Feds for the increase, who will then have to re-open the BiOp and assess whether or not it's biologically defendable.

Which means...first we try to convince the Commission tomorrow that they ought not take Region 5 up on their request. If that happens, end of story.

If the Commission agrees to do it (which I think would be reprehensible...no biological or economic reason for it), then we go to the Feds and ask them to NOT approve the request.

At the very least, this should take the Feds quite a while to study, and I'm sure that WDFW will want an answer ASAP as the season is almost here. After studying it (which may be too late for this year anyway), they ought to find it's a bunch of B.S. intended to make it more "fair" by putting a few extra hundred grand in the pockets of a few commercial fishermen at the expense of several listed steelhead and salmon runs, plus at the expense of many tens of millions of local dollars that the extended recreational spring chinook season would generate.

Fish on...

Todd.

No Todd! You are not missing a thing!!!

To damn bad that you didn't get to ask Dan Rawdings about the Cowlitz when you were talking to him about the Toutle fish! Dan Rawdings was a big player in developing the "wild" run of steelhead that is now being used in the Cowlitz River Settlement Agreement. Why don't you ask him what is going to happen to all those "Late wild Cowlitz winter steelhead" that were supposed to be used as indicators species to trigger upstream volitional passage (fish ladders) over the Cowlitz Dams?

Many of those "5-7%" of the "wild steelhead", will be from the new reintroduced "wild stock" of steelhead that NMFS has just said will not be in jeopardy in the draft BiOp that was just release for comment. And you guys wonder why I get all over the agencies!

Maybe people will start to understand why I feel the way I do now! Historically, the Cowlitz had 23.3 percent of all the useable steelhead habitat below Bonneville. Does that tell you where a large portion of those late winter run steelhead are probably going?

Cowlitzfisherman

Todd

I have received information that they submitted the request on the 2nd of this month:

“Steve and Cindy have initiated an effort to expand the permissible impact of gill nets on wild steelhead. The current 2% adverse impact on listed steelhead showed itself as a problem last year for the gill netters. On January 2, 2004 they submitted a request to re-initiate consultation of the "Biological Opinion - Impacts of the Interim Management Agreement for Upriver Spring Chinook, Summer Chinook and Sockeye on Salmon and Steelhead Listed Under the ESA". They propose increasing the incidental impact on wild winter steelhead to a maximum of 7%. They also propose a separate impact assessment for the Select Area Fisheries, among other issues.”

I would like to see a copy of that request

The actions of the WDFW commission and the NMFS on this mortality issue today will be the canary in the coal mine indicator as far as I am concerned. This is to say that if they decide to go against all common sense and their own assessments and science and allow a TRIPLING of mortality to cave in to the commercials then we can all point to it as absolute proff of commercial bias which borders of graft in government.

I cannot be there today so I hope many of you will give them hell in a calm and respectful manner.

We'll be there...and we'll make our position known. I also look forward to meeting many of you who I haven't met before...

For those who can't be there due to prior commitments, you will have members of pretty much every conservation and fishing group that I know of in Washington there.

We'll get our point across. Whether they (the Commission) listen to it or not is up to them. Either way, you'll all get reports from those who are there, and you'll be able to assess the importance of wild steelhead and salmon recovery, and sportfishing, in this state by how they all vote this week on this subject.

Good luck to all who attend.

Fish on...

Todd Ripley
VP Political and Legal Affairs
Wild Steelhead Coalition

Thanks for your involvement Todd. Email when you are able so we can get together to see how PSA and WSC can work together on these politicians. Thanks again...