On the soapbox

[Stew]

I think we have a great bunch of guys that frequent this fly board.....well maybe not Giz but the rest of you are alright :wink: :grin:
With that in mind I'll ask you to induldge me while I do a little preaching.
There are many big obstacles that face us as anglers these days. While we are enjoying an up cycle in salmon/steelhead returns we shouldn't lose sight of what is going on with our fisheries management and habitat management.
The ODFW and WDFW are considering a 5-7% allowable mortality on wild steelhead by the commercial netters during the 2004 Columbia River spring chinook gill net season! That, to me, is appalling! There are some Columbia tributaries that wild steelhead runs are so fragile that they cannot handle that kind of loss.
While enforcement resources are stretched to the limit as it is holding the commercial netters to that % is going to be tough.
On the north Oregon coast there is only one anadromous fish run that is not listed with the ESA! Thats fall chinook! While the runs of endangered coho,steelhead,chum salmon,spring chinook and cutthroat trout are showing the first signs of recovery we are in no way out of the woods yet!
There are issues such as hatchery management, stream access,timber practices that cannot be ignored by anyone who enjoys the resource like we do.
So what's the solution you might ask? Well the solution is complicated and a slow process but there are things we can all do to help.
There are many fine groups that are right now fighting to save our resource and helping with the recovery of our native fish runs. I,myself, support each of these groups and suggest you do some research on these groups yourself.
Association of North West Steelheaders
Oregon Council of Federation of Fly Fishers
Trout Unlimited
Oregon Trout
Wild Steelhead Coaltion
Tillamook Rainforest Coalition
These are groups I support and belong to. There are other fine conservation organization out there that I have not mentioned so please don't limit your research just those those I listed.
The point is simply this GET INVOLVED!!!!!,please in some way! Whether it be joining a group or writing and phoning your state representives with concerns or as simple as picking up streamside garbage.
I think the old saying of "If you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem" really applies here.

[garyk]

Thanks, that's a timely message.

If there's room on your soap box I'd like to make two points:

1. If I'm understanding it correctly, the so-called '5% to 7% mortality' is for the entire Columbia.

However, it's possible that some tribs have very fragile runs with total numbers of only a few dozen to a couple hundred steelhead. With some bad luck a gillnet might snag a goodly portion of those fish. Thus, the damage to a fragile stock could easily become 25%, 50% or more.

The smaller the run the greater the percentage each individual represents. And the greater the impact of losing even a few individuals.

2. My final point is The Native Fish Society helped lead the legal fight last time around on this steelhead netting issue, and I'd suggest they're worthy of your support. March 6 is the Annual dinner fundraiser in Vancouver.

[TillamookChinook]

I will circulate petitions for the 50/50 Plan for the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests.

I ordinarily run from initiative petition efforts because I believe they have been very harmful to Oregon. But I am apalled to see the timber industry plans to cut 80% of these State Forests, and the legislature can't even abide by that plan but orders the State Forestry Department to accelerate the harvest and change even more of the timber sales to clear cuts. But don't worry, the accelerated cut is only temporary while the State needs the money. Someday in the future they will bring the cutting back in line with the plan.

I think if you care about fishing in the North Coast you should work to pass the 50/50 Plan.

TC