For the past year, we have been warning and busting our butts trying to get you guys fired up about the lack of public involvement in the SECRET MEETINGS. We warned that WDFW cannot be trusted and how the Tribes and WDFW are not at all concerned about the wants of the Sportsmen. Few, very few took any real action, so now it's time to pay the piper boys, for THE NEXT TEN YEARS!

Here is a taste of what is about to be shoved up our @$S!

Ron Garner, PSA State Board President sent out the following email today:

To all:

We have hired Pat Pattillo to breakdown this plan to tell us what it means. It is really really bad for Washington State. Please share with everyone you know.

This is an unacceptable deal that was made between WDFW and tribes negotiating our next 10 year Puget Sound Chinook Harvest Management Plan. Many of us are digging into this to try to understand and everyone is shaking their heads in disbelief. This was done behind closed doors without WDFW Commission being advised or even told about it.

"Shaking their heads in disbelief" LOL REALLY!! Where have they been for the last year that we've been fighting for Open Meetings?

There's more...much, much more!

Merry Christmas boys....you can sleep well trusting WDFW to take care of you!

Trust me. How many times did folks here try that line with girls? Same result.

Somebody passed onto me the cover letter and supporting document. What I got was a plan for 2010-2014, based on decade old data. Is that what they are proposing? To take the highly popular and successful management of 10-14 or did they just screw up in what they sent?

The latter. Give us some time--we are working on a link to download the entire comprehensive program for 2019-2029. The doc is 168+ pages, and I believe it requires Fed approval yet to be considered.

The plan in its entirety can be downloaded and reviewed at this link:

https://tidalexchange.com/2017/12/06/comprehensive-management-plan-for-puget-sound-chinook/

Also can be found @ www.nwsportsmanmag.com/wdfw-tribes-send-nmfs-updated-10-year-plan-for-sound-chinook/. Andy Walgamott is all over this...

Lets face it....it's over.

Here is the problem.......Not enough fish......then increase in sport persons fishing, because of "baby boomers" with too much money and now want to go fishing, tribal fishing, and then the major problem is NT fishing.

Some one is going to "get the short end of the stick".....I'm here to tell you, its not going to be tribal.....so then its sports and nt. I go to NOF meetings in Region 6.......I can't believe the time/paper work that is spent trying to get fishing time for 11 or 12 NT fishermen, some that just do it as a past time.

You have to realize that the Chehalis River has a booming sports fishery, booming sports guide population, the NT gillnet fishery AND 2 tribes that gill net the river.....the Chehalis tribe and the Quinault tribe.

Is there an answer here....probably but the commercial fishing industry isn't going to like it....

Don't know what the heartburn is. Table 4-1 in the new plan is almost the same as Table 12 in the 2010 Plan. (link to 2010 plan: http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00854/wdfw00854.pdf )

Except that are a few increases in allowable ERs. While the devil might be in some details if there are specific sharing determinations between tribal and non-tribal fisheries, more impacts to split between the 2 sectors should be a good thing....what am I misinterpreting there?

rojoband-

You are correct the devil is in the details. In this case in Table4-1 table a look at the Stillaguamish. In the last plan it says see MUP. The MUP is the Management Unit Profile; in this case for the Stillaguamish. If you go to that MUP (in the appendix) you will find that there are several major (more conservative) changes. A couple key points include adopting a SUS RER for terminal run sizes (TRS) of 900 to 1200 of 8%. This is down from the past RER of 15%. In additional it provides for yet to be developed additional guidelines when the TRS is less than 900 (under these conditions the allowable RER might well be less than 8%).

However perhaps the most dramatic change was placing a RER of 12% on the Stillaguamish hatchery produced (wild brood stock) Chinook. The combination of this new suite of restriction will require significant reductions in the Washington catch of Stillaguamish Chinook (both hatchery and wild). Depending on how the co-managers opt to share those impacts the impact on PS and Stillaguamish recreational could range from significant to massive!

Curt

Thanks Curt. That 12% on the hatchery component...yeah I can see how this is going to hurt when nontribal fisheries only TARGET hatchery fish in the salt.

You guys are getting warm now...there's more...

It is time to end this crazy situation where we are having to Re-act to these secret agreements rather than be pro-active by being included in the management decisions in OUR FISHERIES. The Department and Tribal Co-managers must be held accountable by the Commission. The Commission needs to write language into their policies which mandates open meetings, thereby making all meetings, regardless of participants fall under the One Public Meetings Law. Then, if any party feels they are above the law, let them explain to the people why they feel secrets are beneficial to the recovery and sustainment of our fisheries!

Go to the Commission meeting, let your voice be heard. Tell the Commission to be Honorable and put action to their words. Tell them to write open meetings into their policies so we will never have to endure this travesty of secret deals again.

Caught my first steelhead under the 101 bridge on the Bogy when I was 9 years old. That was 56 years ago this month. This post only reinforces my decision to quit fishing for steelhead and salmon in the rivers. Number 1 killer of the fish runs, Indians, number 2, too many sport fisherman, number 3, loss of habitat, number 4, pollution, number 5, dirt bag poachers including Indians, locals, foreigners, etc. and it goes on and on. We're selling the boat this Spring and sadly done. We are being sucked dry by fees, let down by greedy Indians and idiot politicians. It's hard to imagine not fishing for those fish anymore after so long but it's just not worth it. You pay out the nose for a license and you get sh!t for it. I haven't kept a steelhead since 1990 trying to do my part. I've released every fish including hatchery fish. They say you should keep hatchery fish yet they turn right around and close rivers because they aren't getting enough back to the hatcheries. ? I'm done. Too much confusion and ignorance.

Gooybob - you should just fish for you IMO. If you want to that is - I mean to say. It's easy to get caught up in all the BS in this state, but I'm not going to let anyone take my soul as a fisherman away and I hope you don't either. That's when "they've" won. Screw em' if they can't take a joke amiright? Do for YOU and what finds YOU the most peace-harmony-sanctity-sanity-zen-whatever. Turn it back inside and go to your roots. If that could still be fishing for you and it hasn't totally lost its magic sauce for your soul...then just go fish somewhere, smile, laugh and push all the BS aside. It's about all any of us can do these days.

If I could, I'd probably drop everything I have to do tomorrow for a hot bluegill bite somewhere. I'm dead serious. Turn it back inside and go to your roots. To me and my soul, it's healthy to become an 8 year old sunburnt fishing farm kid again - if only but for a few brief hours. I'm not saying we should all go bluegill fishing now. You know what I'm saying.

I sorta feel the same as Nick. When I fish or hunt now, it is for a specific reason. And, in many ways, it is to recapture/relive that kid. If he knows a hot bluegill bite, from shore, I'll be there. For whatever reason, I prefer pretty fish, or fish in pretty places, to big fish. I need to get into some 2-5" Green Sunfish-the fish who taught me fishing. Snake out some stream trout out of very wadable creeks.

Hunting is the same way. I gladly forked over the fees for a single morning (OD) where in a couple hours I got a few shots at some ducks or geese. Over my hand-made wooden dekes. I won't buy the license unless I able to go. But, if so, I'll do it.

I guess my thought is keep doing what you enjoy. If WA has it, then support WDFW. If they don't, go where they do. Quality of experience. That said, were I a boat fisherman for steelhead, the SRC with it's good cause, camaraderie, and stringent adherence to the truth would be enough reason to buy.

Full house at the Commission meeting this morning, and King5 News is here. Public comment starts at 9:45. Be interesting to see how many speak out about transparency.

This guy continually bitches about the state and tribal people's bad habits on line but go to a state meeting and complain in person? Too much effort, I suppose. He complains about "paying through the nose" for licenses, but the reality is that for the prices today and what we pay to eat at a really good meal is more then a combo license. LOTS of fishing out there besides the big money fish that still gives you lots of enjoyment and food. As for as money wan't he the guy who said he was an "investment banker" in Tacoma? I'd think there was enough money in that racket for him to shell out a miserable $80 bucks or so for a combo license, lots of surf perch and panfish, lots of lakes with holdover trout if you bother looking rather then bitching. I for one am glad that he "is done." Hopefully he will give up posting since he won't be fishing (or so he threatens). Bob R

You’re a bunch of crusty old grumpy bastards.

I may be a crusty old grumpy guy, but I know who MY father is. And we need more crusty old grumpy people at these meeting to call the state out on their b.s. Bitching on line just don't cut it! And we need crusty, grumpy young people as well! Bob R