Latest from WDFW on the so called GH Policy review. My thoughts so far is a world class dog & pony show. Bunch of verbiage similiar to the old policy but more or less lets staff determine what it means. That is a bit like letting the fox do security on the farm hen house. Will make Mr. Addicks, ole let the agency professionals make the decisions public be damned, happy. And WDFW staff they have done such a bang up job I mean we are being overrun by fish. Lord sometimes you cannot fix stupid and sad to say I think this is one.


Good afternoon,

Last week we let you know that the public comment period is open for Grays Harbor Basin Salmon Management Policy revisions. Registration for our Grays Harbor Basin Salmon Management Policy webinar is now available as well. On Sept. 4, 2024, from 6-7:30 pm, WDFW will provide an overview of the policy revision process, collect public feedback, and answer questions. You must register in advance for the webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The public comment period will remain open until September 15, 2024.

Thank you for your interest in Grays Harbor Basin Salmon Management,
Marlene Wagner
South Coast Policy Lead
Marlene.wagner@dfw.wa.gov

I recieved this notification so I thought I would let folks know.

Hello all,

I hope you have had a great summer and have had an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. I wanted to reach out and let all of you know that in advance of the upcoming hot weather this weekend we have made the difficult decision to install a gate and close Sterling Landing. We hope this will be a short-term closure while we put together a plan to better manage the property and ensure it’s a safe environment for those wishing to use it for outdoor recreation. You may have heard we had a couple of serious safety incidents this summer, and after much consideration have decided it would be best to close it in advance of this weekend. We will be working with GH Sheriff’s Dept. and Monte Police Dept. to ensure they know it is closed and to issue infractions if anyone is accessing the property.

I welcome your feedback on how we can better manage this property for outdoor recreation. Please feel free to email me, call me, or I would be happy to set up a meeting with you on site or at my office.



Alissa Shay
General Manager – Satsop Business Park
150 Technology Way, Suite 100 | Elma, WA 98541
w: 360.482.1651 | c: 360.591.2002 | www.satsop.com

So since the China flu outbreak WDFW have adapted to doing webinars for all public input? What a crock o [Bleeeeep!]!!!

Thanks for posting Pat Neal's article on the Paper Salmon, love his prose!

They definitely found a way to put the fire out when the heat got to hot. That's around the board. November is coming fast folks. Im ready for common sense to be more common, and to give power back to the people. Thank you for your service Misguided.

WDFW is all about not having to take hard quetions live because they then have awnser questions with facts. They preferred response is thank you for your input.

I found that the best response was to answer the question as detained as possible, explaining the science, numbers, policy., and legal constraints. Then, if possible, ask what they would do under those circumstances. Some of the answers gave us new directions to take.

Remind em that the license buyers, fund them so they can keep their jobs. Might want to grow up eventually and answer some tough questions or resign. Quite simple. Or stay in hiden like biden.

Or keep buying licenses so they stay employed.

An amazing thread here for sure.

Since 1/29/2013, (only 24 years of input and output), 1.8 million views, and over 4,000 of our replies, we still are all here railing against the same crap being played, the continued loss of fish in the systems, a constant decline of opportunity for the non commercial fisher folks that have been paying for this decline, while still allowing politiks and fish management practices that got us here to begin with.

Pathetic actually.

Started out those years ago about WDFW abuse of Rec fishers. Helped get the word out for a policy and the many involved did that. Now 24 years later as time passed the agency staff with the total support of the present Commission which is the most uniformed / misinformed I have ever seen, is going to undo it with the public relegated to dog and pony show status. We lost Sen. Snyder & Rep Kessler retired and our present legislators are shall we say not up to any task in any way shape or form. So WDFW simply has found that ZOOM limits actual discussion of an issue so they are full on trying to go pure old school with the current Director.

Then this that agency is still in complete love with NT Commercial gillnets which I have been present several times when staff called them "our commercial fishers". They do not have the desire or will to manage for the fish or people. WDFW staff are not what it was 24 years and the lack of knowledge ( including the present Commission) is glaring.

Little Edit: There have beeen a few fish moving up but today with coffee on the deck I there were several jumpers and rollers. That is a change so thought some might be interested.

Thanks for the little edit.. I still haven't seen anything down here in Aberdeen.. the last couple yrs I've seen fish and sealions by now

Got this from Region 6 about the GH Policy upate. So I urge everyone to participate but frankly to avoid being duplistic I will not. This is a 100% grade A dog and pony show. It is doubtful that anything or anyone outside agency staff will have any REAL input. It is a charade to meet legal requirements. The present Commission is least informed most uniformed group I have ever seen. We are going the 1980s when the agency " professional staff " managed the basin into the dumpster.



Good morning,

This is a friendly reminder that there are a few days remaining to provide comment on revisions to the Grays Harbor Basin Salmon Management Policy. The Grays Harbor Basin Salmon Management Policy provides guidance to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to promote conservation of salmon in Grays Harbor Basin, as well as the economic well-being and stability of commercial and recreational fishing in Washington. 

First adopted in February of 2014, the policy expired in December of 2023, and a formal policy revision process began in 2024. Department staff met with the Commission in June and August this year, providing a performance review of the expired policy, and offering staff recommendations for revisions. We also held a town hall on September 4, 2024, to share the proposed changes which aim to enable flexible and adaptive management, use the best available science, and align more closely with the newly approved Willapa Bay Salmon Management Policy. Please use this link to learn more and find the public comment portal where you may share your thoughts on the policy revisions through September 15, 2024. Your comments will be presented to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission at their next meeting in Spokane, September 26-28, 2024.

We hope to hear from you, and I will send more details about the upcoming Commission meeting as they are made available.

Thank you for your interest in Grays Harbor fisheries,

Marlene Wagner
South Coast Policy Lead
marlene.wagner@dfw.wa.gov

Seeing what's going on with salmonids in AK and BC I am confident that WDFW will join in the final solution to our management problems. We'll just get rid of them.

Only the folks living outside of the Seattle metroplex see how this is so wrong. To change the policy. To further degrade our public resource.

Back in the 80s the Harbor was "managed" by WDF which was a cabinet agency with the Director appointed by the Governor. Highly political and responsive to the political needs of those in power. The merger brought salmon (and all food fish) under a Commission that was supposed to be less political. That has obviously changed, especially as the current governor appears to want non-consumptive commissioners.

I really don't know a good solution. I have thought that having the Commission directly elected with 4 having to reside westside, 4 Eastside, and a statewide chair would be a better way to go as they would have to publicly explain their positions in order to be elected. The 8 regional commissioners would be elected by their respective regions. Perhaps, to go a step further, maybe there would be six Commissioners, each residing in a region and elected by residents of that region. That might work.

Remember all the fish back in the 80s early 90s? Nobody was playing politics back then nearly as bad as now. Especially the last 15 years. I dont have a solution but, a small step in the right direction would be to elect reichert. Tds-ferg isnt ever going to care or listen.

There was lots of political going on back then. They just had more fish to play with. Lots of folks got politicked out of fishing. Lots.

09/14/2024

09/16/2024, the Chehalis and Bay is open for adult silvers....

This is the late opening for coho above the 101 bridge, it has been open for jacks but low water and crappy "hold over tides" has even kept the jack fishing to some of the lowest number of fishers "I've ever seen".

My boat has been in one day, most years I would be fishing EVERY DAY, does save on eggs.

Maybe some aren't seeing adult fish in the lower river BUT there are some small hatchery Coho being caught and released "up river"!!!! Jack fishing has been so so, just the numbers of fishers is waaaaaay down.

1st in more than 50 years that I haven't caught a jack by this date, must be [Bleeeeep!] eggs......lol

Setting on the deck this morning the river is mirror like zero breeze and I have not seen a fish jump or roll and its incoming tide. I guarantee fish are here but setting here in Central Park you would not know it. It looks to be a waiting game for now but sooner or later they will show in numbers. Hopefully sooner!

11 years ago or so when the GH Policy was adopted many of the community traveled back and forth to countless meetings. It was a difficult thing but most stuck with it and we got a policy that refelected all the input from the Chehalis Basin communities. WDFW absolutely did not like it so they solved that. Got rid of Advisers, limit open meetings where staff had to answer questions, and then came ZOOM the ultimate dog and pony show machine. You have an agency determined to control the narative on fisheries and the status of the fish stocks. What is different now is WDFW's budget is secure so they don't need the pesky users. Wait until tax money gets tight again ( and it will ) and here they will come wanting public support. It is what WDFW is like it or not. As to the Commission they are all good folks I imagine but if they don't listen to staff they will uninformed. If they do listen to staff they will be misinformed.

Honesty is not a hallmark of WDFW.