SENATE BILL 5551

Prohibits the salmon recovery funding board from awarding
funds for a project or activity if the project sponsor has,
within ten calendar years before the date of the grant
application, brought any legal action before a court or
administrative tribunal against the state relating to hatchery
facility operations.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2015&bill=5551

That looks slightly targeted.

Yes it does.

Sen. Pearson at his hearing last year wasn't to impressed with that organization after suing and also collecting funding for projects.

Pearson is chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Parks and also one of the sponsors of the bill.

I like it! I think it's a good idea to limit "all or nothing" groups from draining the state's coffers from both ends.

I would agree with this one.

I'd say that was about a 9 out of 10 on the understatement scale!!

I just called Pearsons office and no one showed up to support this bill. In fact 4-5 showed up to speak against this.

I didn't know or I would have been there. Senator Pearson went out on a limb for us and we did not back him. Our hatcheries are in serious jeopardy. We cannot allow organizations to receive money from the state and then turn around and sue us, stopping our hatcheries.

These organizations are intent on shutting down our hatcheries. We need your help.\!

Please click on this link and respond NOW!

https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5551

I just watched the hearing on this bill and came away with a couple of thoughts.

This bill does not say that the WFC cant sue the state. It just states that the State will not fund the WFC. This is paralyzing to the WFC because in 2012 the WFC only generated $14,450 with out state & federal funding.

To top that off now the WFC's Jamie Glassgow sunk to a new low by taking shots at a state senator.

He is the first to comment and gets gaveled down by Senator Pearson. See for yourselves: Hearing on SB 5551 on TVW

At the time of the hearing WFC had taken $9 million from the state in grants.

While I know that WFC pissed a lot of folks off with the suit one of the things that they do is sample streams to ensure that they are properly classified vis-a-vis Forest Practice regs. WDFW and DNR don't have good, up to date, information on fish distribution and are not really able (or interested?) to collect it.

I am glad Mr. Glasgow was shut down as I think our political system needs more civility but I hope that people see the irony in the guy who started the name calling can't take a little of his own medicine coming back at it. Wonder who was acting like a bully now in that clip.

I Firmly oppose this bill as I think we need to take revenge out of politics and that is pure and simple what this is but I am glad that he was shut down as we need to get civility back in our politics. We can disagree without name calling something that both parties can learn from in this situation.

JJ

This bill needs to pass. You need to work for the resource and not exacerbate the situation taking money away from the source of your funding. That is just absolutely ridiculous behavior.

Yup. We're all taught not to bite the hand that feeds us, and I don't see any way a reasonable person can argue that's not exactly what the WFC did to the citizens of Washington last year. If your brand of conservation (or anything else) requires suing public institutions, you ought not be funded by those same institutions. Borrow or steal; not both at the same time.

There was a thread on another site where all their panties where bunched up. Saying how bad a bill it was and how good wfc is. Only a few reasonable people posted, hope this bill passes. WFC dose do some good work( or used to) like smolt counts of beaches and some others, but it seams the law suits over paper.work is more important than conservation.

With that suit, all WFC asked for was that WDFW, the Tribes, and NOAA complied with the law. As long as the agencies keep ignoring the law there will never be a discussion of the merits of hatchery fish. The Agencies handed WFC all the tools necessary to close down hatchery production. It is as if WDFW actually wants to get out of the steelhead business. They didn't get the permits, the don't (see WB/GH) comply with HSRG, and they roll over on lawsuits.

Carcassman,

No one wants to hear the facts. No one wants to hear that all they were asking was that WDFS follow the law and no one wants to hear they gave them 10 years to do it. All the care about is their own narrative that the WFC is evil, they do no good, they want to end all fishing, should be punished, etc. Rather then the agency that wasn't following the law needs to be held accountable and the only way to do that was to give them a reasonable time and they follow the legal resources that they had. But not lost on everyone.

JJ

Who knows?

I remember about 6 years ago a bill directing WDFW to establish a program that uses public-private, or tribal partnerships for the continued operation and management of state-owned salmonid hatcheries.
I believe the main reason behind this bill was due to budget cuts of the department.
I know of one commercial entity in Hood Canal that took advantage of this bill leaving many hatcheries throughout PS without partnerships.

Drastic budget cuts have hit WDFW in those 6 years.

No hatchery permits coming from NOAA

WFC sues WDFW

Benefit to WDFW --gets rid of costly steelhead hatcheries that tribes or others do not want to be partners with.

Benefit to WFC-- get an out of court settlement and elimination of most steelhead hatcheries in PS. Looking good in the process for their members.

I guess the question I have is if anybody knows if WDFW ex director Bern Shanks and Phil Anderson were acquainted possibly through both working at WDFW?

If memory serves, Phil reported directly to Bern.

Interesting.

If that is the case there is a direct link between WDFW and WFC.

Director Anderson of WDFW and Ex director Bern Shanks long time board member of WFC.

That could open up quite afew questions starting with --was there a deal brokered even before the law suit? You help the department out and we'll help your organization out. Speculation of course.

"Benefit to wfc- get out of court settlement and elimination of most steelhead hatcheries from puget sound"
Benefite for sports man - lost opertunities!!
Benefite for wild steelhead - nothing!!
I am not a pro hatchery guy but they have a place, all wfc does is alienate the majority of sportsman in the state. They should go back to being a conservation organization.