I rec'd the following note from Jim Tuggle, PSA State Board President this evening.

Dave


Friends,



At 3:30 this afternoon I received a call informing me that WDFW Director Jeff Koenings has called a meeting for tomorrow (Wednesday) to present to the sport fishing leaders a proposal from the Columbia River gillnetters for a compromise on the Columbia River Spring Chinook allocation plan.



The problem with this is that the "sport fishing leaders" have not been advised of the meeting!!!!! It seems that Koenings likely has hand picked some of his favorite people to represent the state's sport fishing leaders!!!!!! Sounds like another "Visioning Process", doesn't it?



Just to let you know, I will be attending that meeting tomorrow if I can FIND OUT WHERE IT IS BEING HELD!!!!!! I had to leave my job at the Sport Show in Portland to try to attend this unscheduled and very questionable meeting. After all, the public input on these seasons has long been concluded. When will the F&W Commission step up and do their job? Doesn't look like they want to make the tough decisions, does it? Or is Dr. Koenings side stepping the commission? And, one has to wonder about what kind of political pressure is being applied and on whom.



This is just more evidence of an out of control administration that is not using the public process but is engineering and steering a favored few to represent a false position in order to continue to support a culture that is damaging to an already endangered resource. I guarantee you that I will not sit back and let some folks both inside and outside the WDFW continue to manipulate the public processes to manage our fish and wildlife resources in their interests.



Start composing your editorial opinion letters. I’ll keep you advised.



Tug

"Tug" as in Tug Tuggle, former fishcop?

Yes, and an upset one tonight

Yes, that's "Tug"...I haven't heard dick about the "meeting" either...I hope it's not the same "sportfishing advocates" that have "represented" us in the past...much to the detriment of the resource.

Fish on...

Todd

Tell us where this meeting is being held. Sounds like something that should be open to the public. And if it's not open to the general public, it should be open to reporters.

I'll be printing up my press credentials tonight.


VHawk

Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll piss them off.

Parker--- ask your commissioner friend about this.

It would appear that if they are seeking a comprimise that their fear is that the 65/35 split is going to go through. I had heard that Oregon was serious about keeping the sportsfishery open through April even if the commercial harvest share had to be reduced.

This meeting is scheduled for 10:30 but I cannot get any information as to its location.

If anybody knows anything about where it will be please call me at: 360.520.1175

I will be there representing CCA's conservation voice. Have been working on the location since yesterday afternoon.

If any other CCA members are free to be in OLY at 10:30 call me as well.



Todd...you concern is my concern on this one!!

JimB

On some kind of email list, from WDFW.....here's what I got....I only cut part of it....

"WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

February 5, 2008

Contact: Susan Yeager, (360) 902-2267

Decision on spring chinook allocation
for Columbia River delayed until Friday

OLYMPIA - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has scheduled a conference call Friday (Feb. 8) to take action on new allocation guidelines for the Columbia River spring chinook fishery.

Members of the public interested in hearing their discussion can do so via speaker phone at 5 p.m. at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) offices in Olympia, Montesano, Mill Creek and Vancouver, Wash.

Addresses for those offices are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/regions.htm on WDFW's website. No public comments will be taken at Friday's meeting.

The conference call was scheduled after commissioners split 4-4 on a proposal made by Commissioner Conrad Mahnken at a public meeting Saturday (Feb. 2) that would change allocation guidelines for this year's spring chinook fishery on the lower Columbia River in favor of recreational fisheries.

Commissioner Chuck Perry was absent from that meeting, but all nine members of the commission are expected to participate in the conference call. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is also scheduled to take up the same issue Feb. 8 in Salem. "



Gillnetters must be concerned that "sports" in getting as much attention and maybe a "larger piece of the pie"!!!!!!

Looks like Susan Yeager (360) 902-2267 might be the person to call for location.........

Aunty My Lady, anent your new avatar. Botox can work wonders, at least you are wearing the same sweater ;^)

I talked with Beverly from Director Koenings office just a few minutes ago. I asked her for the location of the 10:30 am meeting with the Director and the sportfishing leaders, she said "Well, uh we weren't expecting too many people to show up originally. We don't have a room yet. It will be in the Natural Resources building but I don't know where yet."

She said she could give me a location most likely in about an hour. I'll be calling back.

Director Koening's office phone: 360 902-2234


VHawk

Why would he know? It's not a meeting that the commissioners would be attending, if I read that correctly.

Sounds like more back-door politics to me.

Wonder how much it makes a difference, as the split vote comes down to a single commissioner, not the Director.

What does one gain by speaking with the Director *today*?

Word just in. I called Susan Yeager's office. She was not in yet due to traffic but I did speak to one of her staff. She put me on hold while she went to talk to Koening in person and ask him about the meeting today. She told me that the director was meeting with some constitents at the request of two legistators. She didn't know any of the names of the parties involved. She said that the constituents were concerned with the current situation involving the allocation process. No word was given if they were sports fishing or gill netting persons

Seems to me you all are barking up the wrong tree.

You should be trying to get a hold of the swing vote. Tell him why the sportsmen deserves a higher allocation of the pie over other interested parties.

I talked with JimB and he told me the same thing. However, I'd prefer to show up, and report that it was not what we were worried about. If this in an attempt at back door politics, then my fear is that it'll be downplayed to keep participation to a minimum.

Considering the level of interest, it would help the Director if the meeting was at least attended by someone who will report on it.

Decisions like this one should have the maximum amount of transparency inherent in the process.

Vhawk

I've got a room number. JimB is concerned that the story that originally came out is part hype, part miscommunication, part rumor, part true, and that we (sportfishers) will look foolish for over-reacting.

I understand his concern. That's why I invited myself to this meeting. It would be refreshing to report that anglers concerns found a receptive ear from our director. And maybe I'll be able to put down rumors of back door politics, and most importantly that Director Keonings doesn't have a pointy tail AND horns.

Anyways there can only be one satan and everyone knows it's Mitt Romney.

Wow. That's exactly what I think about when I fish the lower CR for hatchery springers.



Oddly, when I fish the lower CR, all I really hear out of every fishermen and guide I talk to is:

"I want my 2 fish limit and I want it for as long as I can get it."

It's about having the opportunity to kill some fish. Plain and simple.

If you TRULY cared about ESA fish, you would just STOP all fishing on the lower CR. Problem solved. That's the most beneficial to the ESA listed fish. Wow. That was easy.

Or, they could not allow any sport fishing, and have a commercial gillnet fishery until the 2% ESA impact is met.

2% is still 2%. Doesn't matter how they are killed.

So, exactly how do you determine when the sports fisherman have killed off their 2% of the ESA fish?

One can count dead unclipped springers in a gillnet. Put official observers on every boat participating in the gillnet fishery and you can shut it down the moment Xth ESA fish is killed.

One can't count fish that supposedly may or may not have died due to recreational C&R release practices. All one can do is estimate. Estimates are just that. Estimates.

So, how is that more beneficial to an ESA fish?

You're all up and arms about YOUR opportunity to kill some fish. Telling me otherwise (on a FISHING forum) is laughable.

Don't get me wrong. I'm in favor of the vote. Not because of some ESA fish, but because I get to fish for springers on the lower CR. At least I'm honest with myself and can sleep soundly at night knowing so.