This started as HB 2944 and companion Bill SB 6337. HB 2944 died in committee but SB 6337 lives on. In its present form, it is an unfunded mandate for WDFW to work with the "appropriate" commercial fishermen (AKA Puget Sound gill netters) to prepare a report showing how they (WDFW) intend to “enhance and improve� the gill net fishery. The Bill presently resides in the Rules Committee awaiting a second hearing.
Here’s what I sent the members of the rules committee.
Representative :
I am writing to inform you that I strongly oppose SB 6337 (companion bill HB 2944) and I am asking you to hold this bill if it comes before you.
SB 6337 promotes extending the season of the Puget Sound gill net fishery. Gill nets and other non-selective harvest methods should be banned from use. Not only do they kill indiscriminately, causing the death of 10’s of thousands of protected and endangered salmon species, they are often lost or abandoned when they become snagged on shipwrecks, rocks, reefs and other bottom structure; “ghost nets� as they are known, continue to fish indefinitely. There are acres of derelict nets still fishing the depths of Puget Sound, killing fish, crab, birds and other sea life. In my opinion and the opinion of several hundred thousand voting sportsmen and women, any legislation that promotes gill netting is bad legislation.
SB 6337 is being touted as a boon for the local economy but it is a thinly veiled attempt to produce more fishing opportunities for a small but well funded group known as the Puget Sound gill netters AKA the Puget Sound Harvesters Association. The argument is that the gill netters are simply asking WDFW to stretch out the season, not increase the allocation, so the Puget Sound Harvesters Association can provide a constant dependable supply of fresh salmon to farmer’s markets, restaurants and other local buyers for the purpose of local consumption thereby increasing and sustaining the market value. I believe the tribal fishers, over which we have no control, already fill that niche and adding more fish to the mix will have the opposite effect on the market. That aside, I do not believe WDFW should be tasked with influencing market prices; it certainly is not their area of expertise. In my opinion, their mission should be managing the fish stocks for “the greater good� and this Bill should be killed.
I do not oppose all commercial fishing, only the non-selective nets, there are successful selective fishing methods that could be used in Puget Sound; let’s bring the Puget Sound Harvesters into the 21st century.
As an avid sportsman and CAST for Kids volunteer, I spend a great deal of time, effort and money associated with the Puget Sound fishery and I am extremely concerned about its future.
Thank you for considering this request,
Robert Holmes
Member: PSA and CCA
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When Representatives respond, I send them this reply:
Representative
Thanks for the response.
This is an important issue and it has significant fiscal implications in the sense that any further decline (whatever the cause) in protected and endangered salmon species in Puget Sound would eventually have a profound effect on the regional economy. If the decline in the wild stocks continue, we could be in the same predicament as Sacramento is today.
“SACRAMENTO â€" Officials warned Thursday that a total closure of commercial and recreational salmon fishing may be needed this year to protect dwindling Sacramento River fall-run Chinook populations.
In a preseason report, the Pacific Fishery Management Council offered data showing the 2007 Sacramento fall run reached its lowest level in 37 years of recordkeeping. The report largely confirms data leaked to the media last month.
But various officials went further, warning that all salmon fishing may have to be closed in 2008 to protect the Sacramento fall-run Chinook. The normally abundant run underpins a coastal fishery with an average annual economic value of $103 million.
"This is very bad news for West Coast salmon fisheries," council Chairman Don Hansen said in a statement. "The word 'disaster' comes immediately to mind."
The cause of the run's decline is not known, but probably is related to both ocean and in-stream problems. The council has developed a list of 46 possible causes.
A full closure of salmon fishing is one option the council will consider when it meets March 8-14 in Sacramento. A final decision is expected in April.�
There are many causes for poor returns; some known some unknown, but we do know that gill nets are not selective in-that they kill whatever swims into them. Hatchery fish are produced for the purpose of harvest but wild stocks are mixed in with the hatchery fish and are caught in very high numbers in Puget Sound and other terminal fisheries. SB 6337 directs WDFW to “enhance and improve� the Puget Sound gill net fishery for a small but well funded group of fishers known as the Puget Sound Harvesters Association.
While I have sympathy for the gill netters as businessmen, their short term gain has far reaching consequences. Alternatively, there are successful commercial fishing methods, other than gill netting, that do allow selective harvest and those methods should be employed in Puget Sound.
The argument you are likely to hear in the Rules Committee is that the gill netters are simply asking WDFW to stretch out the season, not increase the allocation, so the Puget Sound Harvesters Association can provide a constant dependable supply of fresh salmon to farmer’s markets, restaurants and other local buyers for the purpose of local consumption thereby increasing and sustaining the local market value. I do not believe WDFW should be tasked with influencing market prices; that certainly is not their area of expertise. In my opinion, their mission should be managing the fish stocks for “the greater good�.
Thanks again,
The Rules committee members are:
Frank Chopp - Chair (D)
Richard DeBolt - Ranking Minority Member (R)
Mike Armstrong (R)
Barbara Bailey (R)
Mark Ericks (D)
Doug Ericksen (R)
Bill Grant (D)
Tami Green (D)
Zack Hudgins (D)
Christopher Hurst (D)
Troy Kelley (D)
Lynn Kessler (D)
Dan Kristiansen (R)
Jim McCune (R)
Joyce McDonald (R)
Jim Moeller (D)
Dawn Morrell (D)
Jeff Morris (D)
Daniel Newhouse (R)
Timm Ormsby (D)
Sharon Tomiko Santos (D)
Larry Springer (D)
Bob Sump (R)
And you can get their direct email addresses here:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/memberemail/Default.aspx