http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2013/12/dec0613_14_policy_proposal.pdf

Draft policy for Grays Harbor salmon management.

Fish on...

Todd

Anyone want to take a stab at cleaning cleaning up this mess? What the hell does this even say in plain-spoken English?

"2) Inseason Management.
The Department shall develop, evaluate, and implement fishery management models, procedures, and management measures that are projected to enhance the effectiveness of fishery management relative to management based on preseason predictions. "

Here's another one that needs some help...

"14) When a mark-selective fishery occurs, the mark-selective fishery shall be implemented, monitored, and enforced in a manner designed to achieve the anticipated conservation benefits. "

Too much wiggle/weasel/waffle room in that bullet-point. This statement would NOT apply to the coho gillnet fishery as currently prosecuted.

Why?

Because it's NOT mark selective.... it's species-selective to exclude wild chinook.

This bullet point also needs to include language that the agency shall commit itself to transitioning all gear types to LIVE capture methods.

WDFW will have to do stuff in-season that would likely lead to better management than what would be achieved if they just based everything on pre-run ghost fish.

They should have left out the blahblah and just said "We will do some form of inseason managment". Which is still vague enough to mean nothing. You could argue that the "develop, evaluate, and implement fishery management models, procedures, and management measures" would do things like establish a way of measuring the inseason run, setting thresholds, and then pre-established actions based on the thresholds.

So far I read a bunch of stuff that sounds great, but when you parse out what they are saying they aren't really saying much...which, for better or worse, is exactly what "policy guidelines" most always say. Or don't say.

Lots of blue sky talk that can be bent into doing whatever they want to do later.

Fish on...

Todd

Well hell, is that what it said? How about this for a little cleaner syntax and economy of words....

"2) Inseason Management.
The Department shall develop, evaluate, and implement in-season fishery management models, procedures, and metrics to enhance the effectiveness of fishery management compared to relying on preseason predictions alone. "

But that would make sense and force them to actually do it..

Which is what is strongly avoided in most all policy guidelines.

Fish on...

Todd

There's the difference between policies and procedures. Lots of fluff in the policy above.

Policy:
"Maximize angling opportunity." (Collective "Woo Hoo")

Procedure:
"By setting a limit of one fish which must have a fresh wound in the mouth indicative of a prior catch and release but must not have more than 2 fresh wounds."

It will be interesting to see how it's actually implemented. By the way, these are dangerous words, "Fisheries will be managed with the intent of achieving..."

Keep up the good work over there.

This one is running around in the draft GHMP currently:

Fisheries will be managed with the intent of achieving escapement goals for wild and hatchery Chinook. In no case, shall WDFW-managed fisheries result in an impact of more than 5% of the return when the adult return exceeds the spawner objective by less than 10%.

Modifications need to read:

Fisheries will be managed with the intent of achieving escapement goals for wild and hatchery Chinook salmon. In no case, shall WDFW-managed fisheries result in an impact of more than 5% of the returning natural-origin adult return when the return exceeds the spawner objective by less than 10%.


This link is to a review of the policy guidelines by the East County guys. I would C&P it in but maintaining the cross out formatting makes that bit out, so you will have to do the link bit then open up Commission Policy Edits. Lot of conversation on the fuzzing up of the language so it is a interesting read.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0...aDJvWjFiaUVoNGc