Dogfish: I too am for the status quote on area 4B and for stopping all commercial long lining in 4B. right now with 120 foot rule, 60 to 70% of Puget Sound is closed. I really think that when WDFW creates a network of real marine reserves, and rockfish conservation areas, WDFW will rescind the 120 foot rule. The 15 to 20% closure is what is proposed by the Puget Sound rockfish conservation plan. It is only a proposal at this point. It has to go through the WA FishCommission first. If we institute a real network of marine reserves the best available science says only 15 to 20% ofPuget Sopund is necessary for fisheries restoration. Yes I am an environmentalist. But I’m also a fisherman and have been involved in conservation work most of my life. Environmentalists are not the enemy. Environmentalists and recreational sports fishermen need to join together to promote habitat protection and use the best available science to do it. please understand I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life. I just want to restore our fisheries.

Mike Gilchrist and Fishinut: I really like your comments onthe C closure being a rockfish management zone. I learned something about the “C” closure that I did not know. People like you need to be involved to keep our fishery stocks healthy and to retain a recreational fishery. Thank you for your efforts. I do understand how people can be rubbed the wrong way when anyone starts talking about Marine reserves. Marine reserves are a closure and fishermen do not like closures. In fact, there is a long history of recreational and commercial fishermen fighting every Marine reserve proposed. Ten after a rtecovery period, we all wonder why we did not do it sooner. All of my information comes from the texts listed earlier and a lot of additional reading on specifics of the state of Washington. It also comes from six years of experience in Puget Sound anglers, attending meetings and listening and learning. It also calls from being an observer and participant in Puget Sound Rockfish conservation plan. I am also willing to adjust and change any opinion based on any new scientific facts. I am not trying to tell anybody they are wrong. I’m only trying to present the best available science to restore the most depressed fisheries in North America. In terms of having the most endangered marine species of any state in the US, the sky has fallen. Every game species in the state of Washington, is listed as an endangered species. Only halibut, sanddabs and rat fish are not listed. Lubchenko was put in place by Obama to head NOAA because of her expertise on marine reserves. NOAA now has marine spatial planning tools (aka Marine reserves) on its website. The Pacific Marine fisheries management Council has also added Marine special planning tools to its website. The state has also passed a law directing all the agencies to cooperate in Marine special planning. The Department of ecology has the responsibility to coordinate all the agencies into marine spatial planning. Part of the agenda for marine spatial planning for WDFW is to implement ecosystem-based management of our fisheries. Ecosystem-based management means marine reserves and rockfish conservation areas. The goal is NOT to shut down recreational fishing. This is the stance adopted by CCA , and it is grossly overstated. Their position statement on marine reserves and marine protected areas is properly conservative. But some people have overinterpreted that mission statement to mean all the environmentalists are anti-fishing. Nothing is further from the truth. Since that position statement was written in 2001, thereis ahuge mount of data and science that has developed to jstify the creation of marine reseves. The goal is to provide protected areas of high quality habitat so that our fisheries are restored by old large very fertile fish within those reserves. It is the old large fish that produced the huge numbers of eggs smolts and larvae. They are the key to fisheries restoration.

With the experience and involvement in fisheries and their management that both of you have, I really recommend you start reading the texts I gave earlier. They will be an eye-opener for you as much as they were for me. This is also not my first rodeo either but please understand my agenda is quite simple. I want to use the best available science to restore our fisheries. Most of you are probably involved in some kind of fishing organization like Puget Sound anglers or Coastal Conservation Association. If you want to see an overview of the facts concerning marine reserves, and why so many nations and states have instituted a marine reserves, feel free to ask me to come do a presentation to your group. Also, I can just about guarantee Marine reserves are coming to the state of Washington. The more all recreational, tribal and commercial fishermen understand about them, especially their benefits, the sooner we will be on the road to restoring our fisheries.

Plus1: Not theories. Just the facts and the science.

Somethingsmellsf: I made one mistake and corrected it immediately. I never claimed to be perfect or to make the perfect judgment calls all the time. How about you?