Keith,
Part of the problem with your rants is that you have misinterpreted the position and the goal of selective harvest gear. You and others have overstated the benefits of selective harvest gear that allows live capture and release of non targeted fish. Further, Selective harvest is one of many tools and reforms needed to increase populations of wild fish. It is one of eight positions and in no way do eight position represent all the issues facing wild fish or limit an organization from supporting the resource, sportfishing actiivities and businesses.
The positions of Oregon and Washington were developed with the help of biologists and former fisheries managers and adopted by the State Boards. At one time, you had the opportunity to get in at the ground level and share your vast expertise on fisheries and history. Now that time has passed, you and others put more emphasis on various articles and policy statements. Opinions of the media, other organization representatives and govt employees are nothing more than a starting point in the debate over the issues. Further, an organization representing anglers is not obligated to agree or support the positions of the govt or other organizaions. Lets not forget, who in the past have shown by their own actions and policies to have screwed up the resource in this state, in more ways than I thought possible. Political objectives rarely follow science to a T. The feds wont even follow their own written policies. It will take outside influence to make some of them a reality.
Many people in leadership have full time businesses in the industry and I have yet to meet one who wants to destroy his own livelihood. Depending on your sponsors, you may find they do not share your positions.
I expect that you will continue to insult the members and misrepresent the motives of the membership. I expect that you won't change your method of asking questions about subjects or locations, that have nothing to do with the positions of the organization. You will continue to stir the pot, expecting to change the outcome and the only thing you do, is give more people the opportunity to investigate for themselves, the organization that you demonize. I am only too happy to provide information about the organization. You have zero influence on the process or the policy and you probably alienate more people who were potential clients, than you have educated. If thats what you call education.
Merry Christmas Keith.
Washington Position Statements
Washington Position Statements As approved by the Board on July 11th, 2009
Selective Fishing
Scientific review of salmon hatchery and recovery efforts in the Pacific Northwest points to selective fishing as a key reform needed to restore depleted wild salmon and steelhead populations and to fully realize our significant investments in hatcheries, habitat restoration, and hydropower operations. To restore and rebuild depleted and ESA listed stocks, both commercial and recreational fishers must become more selective in targeting abundant stocks for harvest while minimizing impacts to less viable stocks. Such targeting requires the widespread use of harvest gear and practices capable of live capture, sorting and unharmed release of fish. Selective fishing methods will minimize mortality rates and bycatch of non-targeted stocks and facilitate efficient harvest of targeted hatchery stocks to prevent their interference with wild salmon recovery. CCA Washington supports the implementation of selective fishing and other science-based harvest reforms as a critical component of salmon and steelhead recovery efforts.
Harvest Management
Harvests of Pacific Northwest fish stocks often occur at the expense of the recovery of depleted stocks and to the detriment of non-targeted species. Managers tend to plan harvests based on optimistic estimates of abundance that often do not materialize. CCA Washington believes that harvest management decisions should err in favor of conservation and recovery, and impacts to nontargeted species should be minimized with appropriate buffers. Furthermore, since the fisheries resources of Washington are the property of present and future generations, harvestable surpluses should be utilized in a manner that optimizes their benefits to all of our citizens.
Catch Monitoring and Evaluation
The history of large-scale commercial fishing reveals a clear pattern of negative impacts to important non-targeted stocks (bycatch). Commercial fisheries extracting massive numbers of forage fish directly impact the health of depleted and ESA-listed stocks dependent on such forage fish. The availability of forage fish to provide a source of food for salmon, other fish, marine birds and marine mammals should take precedence over harvest. CCA Washington supports systematic and vigilant programs of professional catch monitoring and evaluation to identify and correct problems related to bycatch and overharvest of forage fisheries at an early stage.
Unrecorded Fishery Impacts
Rational fisheries management requires accurate assessment of mortality to nontarget stocks and species caused by or related to the fishery. Currently, managers rely too heavily on catch reports by those directly engaged in fisheries to regulate harvest. This practice invites bias, and may also result in systematic underestimates of mortality from such sources as pinnipeds taking fish from nets or lines, net drop-out, unrecorded sales, and derelict gear. In some cases, these factors are ignored completely. CCA Washington supports efforts to improve the accuracy of reporting and mortality assessments, to examine all likely causes of mortality related to a fishery, and to ensure accurate data is collected from disinterested or independently monitored sources.
Hatchery Funding and Reform
Hundreds of hatcheries throughout Washington play a vital role in salmon and steelhead conservation and recovery while also creating sustainable fishing opportunities. Hatchery review efforts illustrate the need for better management of state, federal and tribal hatchery and harvest programs to fulfill these important roles. Unfortunately, many hatcheries lack the funding needed to upgrade these facilities and agencies have not implemented key broodstock management reforms. CCA Washington supports science-based efforts to reform hatchery operations and urges the federal and state agencies to provide the funding and leadership needed to promptly implement these reforms.
Nutrient Enhancement of Freshwater Ecosystems
After spawning, adult salmon die and their remains transfer essential marine nutrients and energy-rich carbon to freshwater ecosystems. In the absence of abundant wild spawning fish, distribution of hatchery salmon carcasses or analogs serves to replace missing nutrients and thereby increases juvenile salmon growth rates and abundance. Wild salmon adult returns have decreased significantly in many freshwater systems raising the need to reverse this nutrient loss and increase distribution of hatchery salmon carcasses or analogs to such habitat. Independent scientific reviews confirm the positive ecological benefits of distributing salmon carcasses or analogs in natural spawning areas and recommend steps to minimize possible negative impacts to salmon stocks. CCA Washington supports these findings and recommendations.
Derelict Fishing Gear
Nearly 4,000 derelict fishing nets and 14,000 derelict recreational and commercial crab pots litter the floor of Puget Sound. Over their extended lives, these rot-resistant nets and pots ensnare untold thousands of fish, seabirds, marine mammals and as many as half a million crabs per year. More gear is lost and abandoned every year, adding to the accumulation. This build up of derelict fishing gear is not limited to Puget Sound but extends to the Columbia River and other river basins throughout Washington. No one agency is responsible for derelict gear removal, and accountability for lost gear is hampered by lack of any identification or reporting requirements. The Northwest Straits Commission (NWSC) has led the way to removing these silent killers and restoring the ecology of Puget Sound. CCA Washington supports efforts to remove this offending gear, to limit ongoing gear losses, to assign a single agency to oversee enforcement and resolutions, and to create and sustain adequate funding sources to complete the removal efforts.
Marine Fish Enhancement
Wasteful fisheries and deteriorating habitat have severely impacted many populations of near shore marine fishes. This is particularly evident in Puget Sound and the Georgia basin where these factors have combined to drastically reduce or eliminate entire families of formerly abundant ground fish, including rockfishes, codfishes, and greenlings. CCA Washington supports efforts to foster recovery and restoration of these stocks using the best available science in harvest management, hatchery supplementation and habitat improvement.
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