OK... attended the inaugural Oly Chapter meeting tonight... now officially the Capitol City Chapter of CCA-WA, complete with newly elected officers.

Where is CCA headed on pertinent local issues? Here are six areas where the organization has taken an OFFICIAL position, as outlined by distinguished Govt Relations Co-Chair Frank Haw.

1) Promote and advance harvest reforms that mandate the use of truly selective techniques. HINT: gillnets ain't gonna git'er dun.

2) Spearhead efforts to salvage derelict "ghost nets" that continue to fish and kill years after they were initially "lost". This will be tied into a an education campaign that challenges everyday folks to consider how those nets got there in the first place and whether that is really the best way to conduct responsible fisheries.

3) Restore FULL federal funding of lower Columbia River hatcheries to fully meet the legal obligatons mandated by the Mitchell Act. CCA STRONGLY supports the role that hatcheries play in conserving and sustaining salmon stocks. (Feeling better now, Keith and Jerry?)

4) CCA urges more stringent monitoring of developing commercial fisheries for bait/forage species (ex. sardines) to ensure that their impacts on the forage base are within reason AND to ensure that the fishery is reasonably "clean" in terms of by-catch of junvenile salmonids.

5) HARVEST MANAGEMENT: Hold managers accountable for their pre-season run-size forecasts. Commercial fisheries are often managed on the basis of fixed harvest/exploitation rates to harvest to the very last fish. When applied to an inflated forecast, the potential for a front-loaded OVERHARVEST is greatly increased (HMMM .... 2008 CR springers ringing any bells?) The predictive value of forecast models must be made more accurate..... but until they are made so, managers should make every reasonable attempt to err on the side of caution and CONSERVATION. Moreover, the available harvestable surpluses of a commonly held public resource should be distributed to maximize economic benefits to ALL citizens.

6) Maximize the delivery of marine-derived nutrients into riverine ecosystems by 1) setting greater escapement goals for wild-spawning fish whose carcasses are naturally distributed throughout the ecosystem, and 2) expanding programs to artificially distribute hatchery carcasses (or processed carcass analogs - i.e. salmon pucks) into nutrient-deprived systems. (HMMMM .... isn't that all of them?)

****

OK folks, there they are... take your best shot at the organization now. If you can't agree that these are worthwhile objectives, then the CCA is NOT the organization for you.

If you believe these are noble goals to pursue, then get on board. What are you waiting for?

And so as NOT to be confused with any so-called "$25 experts".... I am the fishNphysician, concerned sportsman, proud CCA member.... and I APPROVE this message!

I like what I'm reading, thanks for passing along the information Doc.

I'd like to encourage a G___ L_____ free discussion here folks. This is good stuff, let's stick to the topic?

Clear,concise and very well done FP, these are the principals that first attracted me to CCA.Great way to start discussion on the topics that should be discussed......Fishy

It might seem to me number 3 and 6 are at odds with each other. More hatchery fish tend to mean less wild fish. I am still reserving my opinion on CCA and truely hope they succeed in doing good. Just my quick observation.
JJ

I believe that # 3 can aid in providing nutrients for #6. With the hockey pucks food it is my understanding that it cannot cause disease that an out of stock carcass can and still provide valuble smolt food.

SCARBOO

Doc,

Thanks for taking the time to attend the meeting and pass on the information... It's to my liking so assuming the next Vancouver area meeting is on a day that I have off, I'll try and make it to get a few more questions answered and get involved...

Keith

Francis --- I hope that you will post this on Ifish too.

It was a good meeting, and now a few of the questions are answered. If you are curious, attend a meeting and see what's going on. The next Olympia chapter meeting is on June 2.

Nice job on the info and heads up Doc.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Thanks FnP. I'm in,

fb

Thanks for shedding some light on the CCA Doc.

I will be going to the Columbia County meeting tonight renewing my membership and buying my banquet ticket.

My initial post summarizes the issues in the Position Paper drafted by CCA-WA.

I'd like to see how many of you have been drawn into the CCA camp based on this new info.

Maybe time to bring that old "roll call" thread back to the top.

I think they also should be able to have a say in the allocations of sportfishing because of the growing numbers of sportfishermen there will be a need to have an increase in runs of fish and habitat to sustain the fisheries and the DFW sure needs help in that area. We need somebody at the table that has a good hand of cards!

Some one on the Ifish board asked what I meant about "$25 experts"... thought I'd share my response here.....

$25 Expert = one who has an "expert" opinion and has kicked in their $25 dues to CCA-National... then stamps the CCA "Good-Housekeeping seal of approval" on their pet personal position and spreads it all over cyberspace without ever consulting the organization for its official stance.

If a CCA member decides to post an opinion on behalf of CCA about significant fisheries issues, make darned sure CCA has taken an official position on said issue before disseminating it all over the web.

If someone asks a CCA member about the organization's position about a particular issue... don't shoot from the hip with conjecture or outright mis-statements. If you know the official position, say so. If you don't know the official position, then say "I don't know, but I'll do my best to find out"

If there is no official position on said issue.... that's OK, too. There's nothing wrong with saying the organization hasn't decided yet.

The strength of the organization rests in numbers, true.... but it's politically meaningless unless we are all singing from the same sheet of music. Unless we are all echoing the same sound bytes, politicians and fish managers won't recognize us as a cohesive voting block.

That's a pretty good post, Francis...

Fish on...

Todd

I believe that is addressed in the last sentence.

5) HARVEST MANAGEMENT: Hold managers accountable for their pre-season run-size forecasts. Commercial fisheries are often managed on the basis of fixed harvest/exploitation rates to harvest to the very last fish. When applied to an inflated forecast, the potential for a front-loaded OVERHARVEST is greatly increased (HMMM .... 2008 CR springers ringing any bells?) The predictive value of forecast models must be made more accurate..... but until they are made so, managers should make every reasonable attempt to err on the side of caution and CONSERVATION. Moreover, the available harvestable surpluses of a commonly held public resource should be distributed to maximize economic benefits to ALL citizens.

Im a turd I still have not become a $25 dollar expert, I will put it on my list of things to do this week.

FNP -
When it comes to fisheries limited by ESA impacts are not the recreational fisheries also managed down to the last fish/impact?

In fact here in Washington many of our recreational fisheries are happening before the commerical fisheries. Shouldn't your issue #5 also apply to the recreational fisheries?

To have any credibility what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

Tight lines
Curt

Who are the officers? Enquiring minds want to know.

Thanks,

SL

fnp,
The six items sound very good. But when I go to the CCA-PNW website there is no mention of those items as an "OFFICIAL" position. Do you know why that is??