Marsha it looks like I need to dig out my lifeguard photo in my Speedo again...Parker is on the button. Some folks preach about not killing fish as if they are some sort of fishing God or something. At the end of the day those same guys kill some fish. Not the issue. The issue is protecting the ESA listed fish. We know gill nets don't do that. We know that there are forces very powerful that support gill netting and will support it until the day there is only one net left. The legislature is all about jobs and gill netting supports jobs..Cry all you want about how much money sports fishing brings in compared to commercial fishing but not many are listening. The powerful legislators pull the strings and that is the sad fact of why we have so much of a challenge getting what we want. Unless or until the sports fishing community gets a working relationship with some key legislators we will have a tough time.

The new commissioners could have come out of their bunkers a long time ago but political pressure has kept them quiet. Why Connie came out strong finally is still a mystery to me. He and Ken have known what they should do for conservation from day one. I guess they don't want to risk getting railroaded off the commission. Hopefully Mr. Mahnken will not suffer any reprisals for doing the right thing.

Looks like the "secret meeting" was an over reaction again. Koenings did have a private meeting with commercial interests at his own home once so I guess assuming the worst is understandable. There are lots of meetings being held behind closed doors without publicity which is the way it works in Olympia.

Parker is just keeping you all honest.

Besides, I love a good debate.

Getting back to the debate. Why do you say that gill nets do not protect ESA fish?

Gillnets are one of THE most selective types of fishing gear out there.

If managed *properly*, gillnets are very selective. You can select for the time of day the nets are fished, depth the nets are fished, boundaries/areas the nets can or can not be deployed, size of the fish being caught, and will get an *exact* total of how many clipped and unclipped fish are caught per net.

All it takes is some good management strategies and practices and to put unbiased observers on all participating vessels.

If the WDFW does that, why shouldn't the split be 50/50?

I'm confused or out od the loop? What's with the new Avatarts poeple?

Parker,

Couldn't agree more.

No. Other way around. Look up "selectivity" as it pertains to a fisheries technique. Gillnets will be at the top of the list. That has not changed.

Gillnets can select for bycatch. Fish them differently. It's just that easy.

You're missing the subtle point that in theory it all boils down to management of the nets. Not the net themselves.

You cheated on your last sentence. REALITY is trumping THEORY at this point. The REALITY is that it's too easy to just dump nets in the water, kill everything of a certain size, pull them up, and harvest the fish without any real tracking of data, etc.

Ok, I've had my fun. I'll keep my fingers crossed for tomorrows vote to save the fish.

My head hurts and thing's smell fishy.I'm outa here.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Compared to WHAT? Dynamite?

I think you've been trumped by reality on this one...

I guess I have to agree with parker. If the allowed ESA take is 2% and there done. Then the 65-35 split is all about allocation and has nothing to do with conservation. Even at 50-50 the 2% ESA harvest still applies.

People should just call it what it is and that is a higher allocation to the sportfishers. (which is a good thing)

Aside from sport vs commerical

What makes no sense to me are suggestions to open the willamette for sport fishing 7days/week while shutting down sport fishing on the columbia below I-5 to protect the willamette run.

Parker,

You're missing two significant points in this discussion. First, as Aunty points out, removing hatchery springers from the natural spawning ground population is one of the stated management goals. The recreational fishery, with one-quarter the incidental mortality rate of the gillnet fishery, removes four times more hatchery fish per wild fish caught than does the gillnet fleet. Second, it's beyond stupid to split any share of the catch with the non-treaty gillnet fleet. I think you're overlooking that 86.66% (13 of the 15%) of the allowable ESA impact is allocated to the treaty Indian fishery, and all those fish except what are kept for ceremonial and subsistence purposes end up in the commercial fish marketplace. The WA law requiring provision of allowable commercial fishing is more than achieved by the treaty fishery, and allocating the entire 2% non-treaty share of allowable ESA impacts to the recreational fishery.

This whole gillnet v. sport allocation issue for the LCR is just a money grab by the 300 buffalo hunting gillnet license holders still ploying their hobby on the LCR.

Sg

Well what a morning this turned out to be. Leave Chehalis heading to Aberdeen, leave Aberdeen back to Chehalis, leave Chehalis up to Olympia arrived 10 minutes late for this meeting. Probably made or handled at least 30 phone calls in the process...all for the good.

This meeting as everyone knows now was not some back door political meeting. It was in fact a very well ran, calm and clear meeting ran by Director Jeff Koenig, Phil Anderson and Guy Norman. Allocation was not brought up at all .... the main thrust of the meeting was talking about what season if any will the Lower Columbia have for Spring Kings. If there is a season what may it look like. And most importantly, with 270,000 Kingers expected over Bonneville why can't a "normal" season occur in the Lower C? The answer is this: At this point in time Oregon is considering a 7 day a week season until 6000 Kings are killed on the Willamette, but because the run is so low they don't want these fish caught in the Columbia. An impass isn't really an option because so much of the Lower C belongs to Oregon and without an agreement if they say no fishing then we are limited to our side.

Vince was there....add anything you'd like Vince!

Oh yeah....great to meet you.

Guide Toby Muck did a great job putting this meeting together and gathering interested lower columbia business people to attend.

JimB

I'm writing up the meeting report right now. Give me another 25 minutes or so.

Vince

JimB and Vince

Thanks for being there.

Yes thank you very much. I am very curious to hear about the debate on whether the Columbia below I-5 will be open or not.

I sense there was some tension between Aunty and Parker today:

Whoa! Aunty M is hot!!

The makeover I need has nothing to do with my avatar, altho that poor trout has been deformed since last year's BB makeover.

Wow Aunty, I was so captivated by your wit while sitting next to you at the meeting.......... I never noticed your incredible looks.

Wow

That bend over shot did make my day and one other sitting next to me.