The Seattle Times has large article explaining how great it is the netters can now net Chinook with new tangle nets and let go the natives. The state has saved the commercial fishing industry again at expense of sports fishing. We need better representation in Olympia and Salem. I bet those tangle nets can pretty well clean out the hatchery run before it hits many bobbers.

Don't the Indian netters have quotas to adhere to?

They might but i dont think it really matters to them DJ
Tyler

The media in Seattle, including the Seattle Times, is owned by commercial fishing families... we learned that the hard way while working on I-696... what did you think they would report?

-N.

Daaammmmn them! Damn them to Helllllllll!

I can only speak for the Columbia river, but it looks like the daytime netting results in many more wild steelhead being handled than night netting. It is also less effective on chinook so I think that the commercial season will run lots longer than anticipated. On a related subject from ifish, in my opinion, netters do NOT have right-of -way over an anchor fisherman. Read Rules of the road, Rule 18. A vessel underway shall keep out of the way of a vessel engaged in fishing, etc. The anchored vessel is not underway and has no obligation to avoid a drifting net. But use your head and avoid obvious conflict.

As a former Cook Inlet gillnetter I saw this happen a few times and know it's a sore spot with sport fisherman, but a very dangerous situation. In 1992 I drifted down on a anchored pleasure craft. My net slid up the anchor line and caught on the cabin. As my boat and net were pulling the boat under the net suddenly cut the cabin right off the hull. Luckily noone was inside or it would of been extremely worse. right or wrong I just wanted to give a heads up to those in that situation.

It is my opinion that there is no longer any room for net fishing in Wa.. I am Ok with the troll fishery though.

The money generated by the sposrt fisherman far outways the moneys produced by the net fishery.

I find it to be a complete shame.

It is too bad that so many of the laws in this state can be swayed by one (King), possibly three (Pierce and Snohomish) counties.