I read about this on my Hunting forum, anyone here know whats going on???, I dont know about you guys but this put me up and over top if this is true!

Well there is no official letter or news about it but it has been confirmed that there will be a meeting to take public input on this very issue.. Allot of emails have been sent to the WDFW.. Here is a reply I got from my letter sent..

The commercial gillnetters want in on the Lk WA sockeye party at the expense of you and me. Here is a letter I sent, please send yours ASAP. They are making these decisions right now! If we have to share with the commercials, it will be a very short season indeed.


Also if you can take the time to attend the meeting on March 30th and comment on this it is very well worth the effort. I for one truely enjoy this fishery.. Yes we all know what a zoo it can be out there especially when the season is shortened by comercial fishing. However it is also a great way to indroduce kids into fishing for some fun filled action. Almost garunteed for them to catch a nice salmon or two..


quote:
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Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I have received quite a few e-mails in the last couple of days with similar views expressed. If you care to attend our public meeting on March 30 at the SeaTac Holiday Inn (9:30 am), you can present your opinion in person to agency and other folks.
thanks,
Pat Pattillo
WDFW


Bud.

here is the letter that has been sent there way and who it should go to, according to the other post,

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Patillo,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the possibility of commercial
gill netters participating in the 2004 Lake Washington sockeye fishery.

I would request that you and the other decision makers consider the
tremendous economic impact that a sport fishery creates during the Lk WA
sockeye run. I would hope it is very simple to see that the economic
impact is far greater with the $100/angler/day spent by sport anglers
times the 30,000 participants as opposed to the handful of gillnet boats
selling the fish on a commercial market already flooded with Bristol Bay
sockeye at that time of year.

By allowing commercial gill-netters to take a portion of the non-tribal
allocation, you are shortening those number of sport days.

Further more, I would hope you take into account the "social injustice" of
forcing the Muckleshoot, Suquamish, and Tulalip tribes to compete with the
commercials when it was the Muckleshoots who stepped up and spent their
own money to enhance and monitor this fishery over the last 10 years.

By keeping Lake Washington sockeye a sport and tribal fishery you will
create the strongest economic impact possible while giving the tribal and
sport anglers the opportunity to harvest the fruits of their labor.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Send your emails to

pattiplp@dfw.wa.gov Pat Patillo

Be sure to cc the
Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the WDFW commission.

pfmc.comments@noaa.gov
and
commission@dfw.wa.gov

They are trying to get the OK to net Area 10 for them.Hear is a response from Pat Pattillo:

Thanks for your view on this tough issue. You probably are aware that the reason we are considering commercial fishing for non-Indians this year is that our policy for Lake Washington sockeye use states clearly that the priority is for sport use. But if the run is very large, greater than 750,000, then we are bound to consider some level of commercial opportunity. We are thinking about what the possible bycatch of chinook would be and are concerned with any increases to the impact on Puget Sound chinook given their status under the Endangered Species Act. So two things are up in the air: first, we won't know what if the runsize is big enough to consider a commercial fishery until mid-late July, after we've probably already begun a sport fishery in the Lake; and second, we don't know if we really can justify the impact of even a small commercial fishery that would take place out in Area 10.



We will discuss this topic more on March 30 at the SeaTac Holiday Inn, at our North of Falcon meeting, so be ther if you can. Thanks again for taking the time to provide us with your view.



Pat Pattillo

WDFW

When I heard this topic spoken on at NOF the first thing that came to my mind was:

How can we know exactly what the size of the run is ( to predict sport and indian season length) when they are netting them before they are counted?

I understand that they can count the fish caught in the nets, but not until after they have been harvested.

Only after they are harvested will we know exactly what the true impact is to the sport fishery.

BS I say, if there is a big run, let the sport fisherman and Indians have an extended season on them!!!!! Don't let the commercials seine them north of Meadow Point and demolish the whole second half of the run!

Fire off some e-mails!! to all three of the groups, I added to the one above and recieved a reply it would hit the proper people within a hour.

I am so PI$$ed!! I have about reached my saturation of BS from this State, We need to get the word out to the media about all the things that are way wrong, I did not like the idea of a Class Action Lawsuite because it hurts, but it will bring all the issues to light and at a National level, maybee the do-gooders we live with in Seattle will finally get behind us on some of the issues of Tribal and commercial bs that has been going on.

Bud.

Please contact everyone you can to let them know of our opposition to
the proposed Non-Tribel Gill Net Sockeye Fishery.

Pacific Fishery Management Council

pfmc.comments@noaa.gov

Pat Patillo, Salmon policy coordinator for the State Department of Fish
and Wildlife

PATTIPLP@dfw.wa.gov

Fish and Wildlife Commission

commission@dfw.wa.gov

Everyone please send a quick email about this issue.

Your note to Pat and WDFW will really make a difference!
Really, it will!

Pat said so himself!

How come the Indians can fish a run that did not exist when the treaties were written???

Barnettm,

For the same reason they can fish where runs used to exist that no longer do.

It's a treaty fishing right. If the Indians had been really smart, they would have insisted that the state and federal governments would protect the runs and keep them healthy so that the right to fish would be more meaningful. Judge Boldt did make a comment somewhere in his decision that the right to take fish at usual and accustomed places included more than the right to dip a net into the water and have it come up empty.

Because it is a right to fish, the fact that the fish populations present in Lake Washington today are different than the populations present historically is legally irrelevant.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Salmo

You of all people should know that the Lake Washington Sockeye are an imported non-native species to Lake Washington. They were planted there years ago long after all the tee pees were taken down around the lake. There are also "usual and accustomed" fishing "sites" on the ship canal...( A man made canal).....maybe the tribes fished in ponds there a hundred years ago. I have run into the nets at night in the canal.

With that said I will second the notice of the Muckleshoot tribe's efforts to make a season for Sockeye possible at all. We need to thank that tribe for what we have today.

The non-tribal commercials have made a loud noise at the North of Falcon process so far this year and I suspect that the same political pressure they are so good at exerting is at work here. Also the tribes already net out in area 10 for Sockeye in July ..before the fish are counted. Just think how great it would be to add a bunch more nets outside the locks...probably at night too so none of the non fishers could see the spectacle and get upset. I think gill netting under the cover of darkness is complete chicken **** garbage and only shows how spineless these scumbags are.

Oh and by the way don't forget that WDFW has already stated that they may not be able to have a sports season on the lake unless they get the $120,000 for enforcement that is in the legislative process right now. Then if they do get that money the season wouold be maybe a week long...One night's netting could catch more fish than all of us sports people in one week I suspect. And how many boats would they allow? Woould they pick the peak of the run to allow the nets to go in? Historically the timing of the peak is pretty predictable.

Well, if it is true that the Muckleshoots foot the bill for the Cedar River sockeye hatchery (so I am told), they can do whatever they want with the returning adults, IMO. I think the fact that they give up part of the run for us white folk to harvest is rather nice. Let's be careful where we sling our barbs, as they may whip around and catch us in the back of the head.

I just sent my email. Thanks for alerting us to this possible plan.

I hope everybody sent a quick email.

Here we go again, slamming the tribes, when it should be directed at the politicians, and the commercial netters. Should'nt we do all we can to get these clowns and their self -serving agendas out of office? It's all about money, and the money we are talking about in one way or another goes to get these cretins re-elected year in and year out.(we must consider a commercial harvest at this time) What a bunch of horse s***! The tribes are doing all they can to ensure a balance between sports fishers and tribes, but the politicos are selling the rest to the commercials who will provide all the support they need to get re-elected. Like I said, it's a self-serving agenda that will not stop unless the general non-fishing public is made aware of this inequity, just as any issue that the public is blissfully unaware!

"The tribes are doing all they can to ensure a balance between sports fishers and tribes,..."

WHAT?

THEY ARE?

Better go to the North of Falcon meetings and fill everyone in on just how the tribes are doing this.

Here is my email to Pat Patillo sent this morning:


Pat

I have been following the discussions concerning possible sports and commercial seasons this July for the Sockeye returning to Lake Washington. In the beginning it appeared that the run prediction would approach 750,000 fish. That would most certainly result in a quality sports fishery in the lake. Then we heard that the budget was a concern and that without additional funding for monitoring of the fishery WDFW would not be able to allow a sports fishery. Then a supplement to the budget was introduced in the legislature where it appears to be passing pending the governor's signature. Then we hear that the $120,000.00 would only allow a short season. During the first NOF meeting in Mill Creek you spoke of a run size much smaller than the 750,000 you are alluding to now. Predictions of a week long sports season were mentioned.

Now we hear that WDFW is entertaining a commercial net fishery outside in area 10, I presume near the entrance to the ship canal. This area is already fished by the tribes. My question is this, why does the sports fishery remain relatively small and yet you entertain a net fishery which would , no doubt, harvest much more in a shorter time than the predicted short sports season? Is the commercial fishery being contemplated monitored and if so at what cost to WDFW? Will you demand observers be onboard all the commercial boats and enforce the rule? I think what you might say is that you don't have enough money to monitor a sports season longer than one week but I will await your answer. Not many would argue that the sports fishery in Lake Washington does not generate the most stimulus to the local economy so I suspect the argument will be that you are "obligated" by legislative mandate to provide a "viable" commercial fishery. I think that is how the line goes. That same legislative mandate provides for a "quality" sports fishery. I suspect there is probably an argument brewing to find a way around the potential bycatch of ESA Chinook that are heading to the same lake as the Sockeye

I look forward to your response which I will pass along to our membership.

Thank You

Grandpa,

Don't forget the Muckleshoots U&A on the Black River, a "man UN-made canal".

Fish on...

Todd

P.S. I appreciate very much your continued efforts for a sport season on Lk. Washington for sockeye this summer. Please keep it up!

Not to mention the years Lake WA takes to recover it's own population of rainbow and cutthroat trout after a commercial fishery.

Sent off my e-mail today. Lets hope we have a long and productive season!

It looks like a season for Sockeye on Lake Washington is all but certain this year. The question is how long with the season last and will the commercial netters wipe them out.