Wow, two comedians.

Re:the face off article. Proposed initiative wont happen this year. 2011 is an off year. Therefore 2012.

What should bother you is the idea of fighting about the two proposals for the next two fking years.

At this point the safe areas appear to have the edge. They are adding surplus fish with two hatcheries and the only disadvantage is the waiting period for the fish to return and providing enough so the commercials will get an even trade for the harvest they would lose in the main stem.

If you go back and read the article on page two, it refers to Hudson who is playing the victim card about tribal fisheries. More likely, some of the tribe just dont want to give up gillnetting and they never wanted mark selective fish. (a battle they lost).

Selective gear must continue to move forward because the tribes in Washington are co-managers and they are required to reduce their ESA impacts. Tribes that will adopt it, not only for wild fish separation but species separation. (the muckleshoots did not net the Green last year, to protect wild steelhead) Yet, in order to get the sport harvest open on the green for humpys, sporties had to reduce the size of the hook to a half inch gap, to reduce snagging of the chinook, that the tribe was concerned about in NOF. This year the tribe is waiting for in season population updates before they fish, according to Steve T from the dept, who spoke to the Renton PSA club.

IF we could benefit from bay area selective harvest in Grays harbor County and Pacific County (where they dont use the CR allocation method) it benefits the fish if the tribes fish selectively. It keeps the season open longer for sports.

How can we pressure BC and Ak to stop fishing over lower 48 fish, if we will not adopt selective gear? By fishing near fresh water, they are catching mature fish and not our lower 48 fish. They could set slot limits and scan fish for clipped fish and tagged fish. Whatever is possible, they have more options than using gillnets. The Troll fishery is SE AK is a different animal.

Admittedly, the AK BC is just an idea with no knowledge of the agreement, but so far, we get back less than half the fish. Letting the perfect stand in the way of the good, over a few fish in the columbia is rather short sighted. It also affects Puget Sound. There isnt much point in spending a lot of money on habitat, if you wont let the fish get back to it.

Would you please post any data that shows AK and BC is catching half our CR springers.
You seem to like that fact, so let's see some facts that back it up.

As far as I'm concerned they can use dynamite or Q Tips, as long as they are out of the mainstem, it really doesn't matter what they use as a harvest tool.

I agree, seems this year was a fluke with all the high water. Yet those "bycatch" numbers will be heard for years to put down the safe areas. I`d like to see some numbers from past years, I don`t think you`ll see near as many upriver salmon during a normal year. Another thing, I believe the commercials in the safe areas would have more leeway with preditor control, get rid of some terms and cormorants, maybe pop a few mammals. I`d like to see them get a 10% SAR return ,or maybe better on their/our investment.Bill

I think when all the numbers are in you will see it averaged over the 99% range or less than 200 wild mortality's for 20000 fish harvested. I'm more concerned about the selective fishery in the ocean where in 2 posts I count at least 4 fish dead and nothing kept.

99% seems selective enough to me, bring on the dynamite and q-tips. Bill

The perfect quote for the future. So, in 2012, when [if] the commercials are fishing the safe areas and out of the main stem, you wont bother coming out against selective gear in the safe areas. You wont be dealing with 20k fish in the safe areas. You can probably add whatever they use to catch in the main stem to that number and a corresponding number of wild fish and up river brights.

No issues with game fish status for sturgeon either, right?

Good luck............. But, you're dreaming.......

I wish I had a $1 for every BS statement and number you put up on these boards.... I could buy a new boat already....

It's almost like you go to CCA meeting and pluck mythical #'s from Gary's bullshot Cedar Creek hatchbox theories.... Time to wake up and peer out of the little world you are in...

Keith

Gee, its almost like, you care what I think. So far, that would add up to $1725.00
Maybe you should wish for a raise.

Yeah, or just more hatchery plants in systems that won't effect these wild fish.....

Keith

why would i stand in front of blake and tell him i want the commercials to go selective and harvest more fish ??

Aunty, Boater might not win any popularity contests, but he seems to have grasped the concept that when commercials switch to a more selective harvest method in the mainstem CR, the up river sport anglers slice of the harvest pie will shrink.

It's really not that tough a concept, but it amazes me how many people are having a hard time grasping it. Tribes know what it means for them since there behind 2 other user groups, if the ocean goes selective then more unused impacts will need to be transferred to them so they can harvest there 50%..Wild fish saved..Zilch and as far as I'm concerned its already having a negative impact on the wild populations. Hatchery tags need to be used in terminal area's only.

That pretty much summerizes the CCA bandwagoners.... Get out of the way or get run over.... Sad really... Science and Math apparently aren't of recognition of those headed down the path of no return.....

No pun intended Aunty....

Keith

And that's why your known as the internet's biggest gas bag.

be honest, do you think the CCA is doing anything for sportfishers in pushing for the gillnetters to go selective and catch more fish ?

They don't have an answer that you want Boater... They'll never admit that it will give away opportunity....

Keith

Oh, so now the plan is to put the commercials into the SAFE Areas and make them fish selectively?
Great idea, glad CCA is in the game, where would we be without them?
So does that mean CCA is going to take credit for the SAFE For Salmon idea?
Texas called, they said to send more money.

I haven't heard any suggestion whatsoever from anyone except for a couple of people here that the plan is that the commercial guys will only fish the SAFE areas, and will only use selective gear when they do...no way in hell they or the States will agree to that.

Fish on...

Todd

It's the first I've heard of it, this seems more like Aunty just thinking out loud, or is this a major switch in CCA's direction, with regard to CR fish management issues?
If it is in fact a position shift, I'm not opposed, it really doesn't matter how fish are harvested in the SAFE Areas, they are by location a selective fishery.