I received the following information from a CCA contact a short time ago about a bill to ban non-tribal gillnets from Washington waters will be introduced tomorrow. There are 24 Senators who have sponsored this bill! See below:



SB 5617 - 2019-20

Banning the use of nontribal gill nets.

Sponsors: Salomon, Braun, Van De Wege, Rolfes, Wilson, L., Rivers, Fortunato, Palumbo, Keiser, Das, Frockt, Randall, Warnick, Hunt, Honeyford, Brown, Cleveland, Saldaña, Nguyen, Darneille, Conway, Pedersen, Wilson, C., Liias


What can you do today? If your Senator is not listed above please send an email asking that they sign-on to SB 5617. If your Senator is one of the sponsors please send a quick email thanking them for sponsoring this important bill.


Here's a link to the bill:

http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5617.pdf

A quick read of the bill shows a buy-out process to be completed by Dec. 31, 2022 and effective Jan. 1, 2023 a prohibition on using gill nets as a means of taking salmon in state waters.

Um that is awesome!

Composed and sent to Sen. Tim Sheldon, 35th Dist.

Remember that the harvestable number remains the same; if the NI side (purse seines, reef nets, recreational) can't get the 50% the Tribes will. Foregone opportunity.

Foregone opportunity is such BS!! Which judge / agency signed off on that and what logic or law did they use to justify. Can we / someone use the plight of the Orcas to reverse that BS?

One thing at a time...

Where does the buy back money coming from?
Why does this have to take another three years when stocks are circling the toilet?

Unconstitutional and unfair in its application, in my opinion.

The current market price for a PS gillnet is roughly $20,000.

Somebody decides to fish in AK instead of WA, so his WA permit is renewed annually and he has no landings for a few years. That value is now diminished without warning to $1,000, then $500, and then $0.

I would love to see gillnets purchased back, but that needs to be done in a fair and equitable manner.

Whats to stop some one from enrolling in the buy back then apply for a canada/alaska permit and then just net up there instead?

OR

apply for a hali permit and then be allowed to have 3 to 1 hali to salmon as part of allowable by catch>?


Nothing.
Nothing is the answer.

Foregone Opportunity was part of the original Boldt Decision, as was Equitable Adjustment. EA is owed when somebody takes more than 50%. There is no EA if Foregone Opportunity is shown. You had fish to catch, you chose not to take them, then other side gets them "for free". The State was the one who first used Foregone Opportunity, in the early years of Boldt, when the Tribes did not have the actual power to take their share.

Pretty much everybody involved in management, and all the courts that reviewed it, agreed with Foregone Opportunity. Plus, and blessed by the Courts, the managers agreed to fish at MSY and that ANY fish in excess of the MSY goal was wastage.

Change the management paradigm. Reserve all non-adult salmon for SRKW. Harvest after the adults have passed by the SRKW. Let the whales eat first. Don't have to change escapement goals, just where you kill the fish.

Thanks Carcassman - was kind of a rhetorical question but you provided a knowledgeable answer. Didn't realize it was so set in stone (Boldt, etc.) or that "the other side" is now getting their paybacks. As always - seems it's the fish that loose.

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't WA & OR pass initiatives a few years back to end the commercial fleet in the Columbia?

If I remember correctly the ODFW director torpedoed it because he has ties to the commercial gillnetters.

This is what I sent earlier.

[quote][Hi,

Please support this bill to eliminate this method of commercial harvest.
Gill nets capture critters by size rather than species and marked/unmarked.

Here on the Canal beach seines are are already in use to be more selective.
I have testified in favor of mark selective fisheries, barbless hooks, and leaving wild fish in the water on the sport side.

I believe the gill nets are no longer a viable method of harvest in this era. Harvest reform should have taken place years ago.

So please support SB-5617.

Warmest regards,
Hans/quote]

Well presented, slabhunter...I hope "Teflon Tim" Sheldon hears what you have to say.

Does anyone know where Rep. Brian Blake stands on this? Anyone remember what happened to Rep. Liz Pikes bills to prioritize recreational fishing when it went to Blakes committee?

Fire off an email to Representative Blake, then post his answer.....


Brian.Blake@leg.wa.gov

Did just that. Here is my email to Rep Blake:

"Rep. Blake,

I’m just curious, what are your thoughts on SB-5617, Banning non-tribal gill nets from Washington waters?

Thank you,"

AND HERE IS HIS REPLY:

"I support a market based program of willing sellers and willing buyers."

AND MY REPLY TO HIM:

"WOW, really?

Perfect politician…answer a simple question with some BS!

Thanks,

Your constituents"


You can try and figure out what the hell he's saying...

Pretty clear to me......he is not in support as the proposed legislation would not meet the willing sellers/willing buyers criteria he established in his response.

Officially now at 27 Senators signed on according to Bill Tracker

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5617&Initiative=false&Year=2019

https://salmonchronicles.com/author/jbeath/

Anyone care to get the ball rolling on this one??