They just like helping the netters because the economics are so much simpler. They pay 50 million for a meat factory because meat is worth money. It is meat out, meat in.

But...I sure wish we all had a better idea of what steelheaders bring into the local economy each year on the Skagit, it is probably many many times any of the netting brings into the economy up there.

I just read this whole thread looking for good news on the beloved Skagit.

Where the hell is it? I missed it.

-S

WAR!

So let's stop building hatchery's because there only building them to help commercial fishermen. There only building hatcheries so the Indians can net. The fish runs aren't getting any smaller because of OUR pollution from OUR leaking boat motor's or the gas WE burn up into the atmosphere on the way to go fishing. The fish run's aren't going away because of me or you. It's someone else. Well if it is pollution, why should I stop. I'm not stopping en-tell the next guy stops because I won't make a difference.

Eventually we will all poll our heads out of our azzes and relies its everyone and everything, but keep blaming everyone else.

Jeremy,

I didn't mean to hit a nerve. If you look back through the PP archives, you'd find that the people commenting on this thread tend NOT to be the "blame the Indians" crowd. I think the bigger objection is to the building and running of hatcheries in general. They were CREATED to help commercial fishermen. The problem is that most of them don't even work and probably actually cause MORE problems than if they weren't there at all.

On top of that, if you've complained about any form of taxes in the last few years, I strongly urge you to rethink your support of hatcheries. They are very expensive to build... then you get to fund them EVERY year after you build it. Start looking at the dollars spent per fish and you'll either get pissed or start laughing.

You are right that it is "everyone and everything". There are multiple fronts to fight but if you think that hatcheries are the "fix", then I think you are going to find yourself very disappointed.

-Kaiser D.

Read up on the Skeena River and see what a sockeye hatchery can do to the wild steelhead runs...

Fish on...

Todd

Todd- Amen brotha ! That is a fight we really don't need to fight. This is only the beginning. If you love the Skagit, then this could potentially be the worst news in a long time. There is a series of u-tube videos (about 3 I believe) about the conflicts of Skeena sockeye runs and steelhead. Find these videos, watch them and I'm sure EVERYONE but the commercial guys will change their minds pronto!

The amount of sales tax that sportfishing is responsible for far outweighs what the commercials pay.