put in.................................. from the great communicator.


If you had read what eyefish and louie had posted you would have seen it. The TEST was to prove the fishery and the equipment could be successfull. Testing may not be finished and may or may not be successful, and we deal with the results in order to protect the wild fish and the sportfishing community. You have no idea how many of the fleet will be fishing. There are many more in the fleet right now who do not fish, because they would split up the impacts between themselves, just like the tribes do and the sports do. Those who do not fish now, may not be interested in switching gear and may not be eligible for a buyout or renewing their permits. There is no reward for changing gear, there is only punishment if they do not. You dont know how big the pie will be nor where the pie will be cut up. Part of the fish already come from the tribs and we have ways to protect those tributary fish, by adding surplus production to the safe areas and offset that with reductions from fish in the tribuataries. You have it easy. The only area in the state not affected by tribal harvest is SW Washington tribs. I guess maybe you dont care if the tribes fish with gillnets, but most of us dont like it much. We are unlikely to force a change on the tribes that the non tribal fishery is not required to make. Tribes have far more allowable impacts. Hardly in line or spirit with the Boldt decision. What ever amount of wild fish are spawning, a direct mortality of 15% on each return is much too high under the circumstances. It must be reduced.