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...