Ban Gill Nets !!!

[Fish mojo]

Remember in the early 90's there was a ballot measure for banning gill nets on the Columbia? Who remembers why it failed? What would it take to readdress the issue? Let's take a straw poll here on the board and send the results to the state legislature. I vote -NO GILL NETS!!!

I also vote for No gill nets! I can remeber back in the sixties when the ballot measure to ban gill nets was voted dowen by every county in Oregon, sure was a lot of money spent by the netters to defeat the measure.If you look at the numbers they will tell the story, when ever the nets are removed the fish will return to what their numbers once were.I'm ready for the fight!

[Mrdorkfish]

I agree with you Fish mojo, These curtains of death kill everything in it's path.....I talked to the fish checker lady and she said they had their season revoked for Monday and Tuesday but would be in again on Thursday so it could recover......We were catching fish like crazy for the past month now i barely even mark fish.

Mrdorkfish

It will reach the ballot again in the not-to-distant future unless they are taken out by the Federal Endagered Species Act first. When it gets there us sportfishers had better be much better prepared to fight the organized and well financed gillnetters campaign this time! Remember that a majority of NW residents aren't serious sportfishers and all the negative issues of gillnets need to be made aware. Remember how effective the TV campaign against hunting was when they kept showing the dogpack treed cougar being shot down and shot again on the ground? Those ignorant prone people who voted it in are now reading about those poor nice picked on cougar's increased numbers chewing on little human kids. The point is the effectiveness of TV and print media image on voters! Get out there with your long range cameras and camcorders. Now would be a good time. The nets will be in the Col. for coho thru next week; check the netting season schedules year round. A big drive on the region's net BB's along with efforts by the Assoc. of NW Steelheaders and contributions from NISA can buy a few TV ads that show dead bleeding fish dangling by their gills, with the announcer stating that some of these are endangered fish that will cost all NW residents a big chunk of change and lifestyle as they get nearer to extinction, would be extremely effective! Poor little fishies . Dirty politics? Nope. It would be the more ethical side of the fight fire with fire politics that would be necessary! It will be a bit painful because it will take some money. - A straw vote from a fishing BB wouldn't hold much water where it would need to. The ODFW already knows our position. Be ready when its time! - RT

[This message has been edited by RT (edited 09-29-2000).]

[garyk]

Here's some free political advice AND an opportunity from someone who's been on both winning and losing sides of initiatives.

An Oregon Legistlature will be convening next year - find a legistlator to carry a bill banning commercial gill nets. To my knowledge no such bill has been submitted in the last 5 sessions. There's over 2000 bills submitted each session - why not this one?

Typically, you've got to raise the stakes and argue the point in the Legislature before taking it to the ballot, if you want to be successful.

A caveat. This bill will only apply to commercial fisherman and not tribal treaty fisheries as they are operating under Federal Law, which supercedes state law.

A final note. RT, please, you might want to tone down who you're calling ignorant, as you will need them to win this fight. Thanks.

[smilesforu]

Now we need a somebody to help us push it through. A bipartison push would be the best IN both STATES!!

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Marty M
Steelheader.net

[dawhunt]

There are several reasons it failed in washington.
1. The gillnetters spent tons of dollars to fight it.
2.The tribal fisheries should have never been mentioned in the ballot.
3.The sports fisherman could not come with a match for the money the netters where spending.
4.The netters had big business helping them out along with several of our politicans that were more then likley bought in some way.
5.Thje people that live in the central and eastern part of ther state didn't have a clue
all they saw was the poor gillnetters family on t.v. with there kids and talking about feeding there babys.WE didn't have the money for tv. adds.
6.The ballot passed overwhelming here in clark county but failed awfully in the seattle,Clackamas,westport, and Ilwaco,also in the middle of the state.
7.My in-laws live in spokane and colville
WA.Untill I talked to them they thought the measure was to stop the white men from gillnetting and let the indians have it all.
I believe this was the way a lot of other washington voters thought.Remember there is noithing we can do about the indians the government has got to get some b---s and do something.WE need to fight one thing and one thing only and that is to get the gillnetters off the Columbia River PERIOD...
I wish you guys in Ore. all the luck in doing this.REMEMBER IF YOU WANT THIS TO HAPPEN YOU CAN'T SIT BACK AND WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT,YOU'VE GOT TO GET
IN THE FIGHT.Not to brag but I got 27 petitions of signatures to get this on the ballot.Plus sent in a couple hundred dollars,if every sportfisherman would have done this and got out and explained what this was all about ,I know in my heart it would have passed.I'm sure it will be back again maybe this time the people will listen !!!! I ONLY CAN HOPE !!!
Sorry about he bad speling
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Bob Dawson

[This message has been edited by dawhunt (edited 09-30-2000).]

[This message has been edited by dawhunt (edited 09-30-2000).]

[garyk]

DAWHUNT -- You bring up some very good points that I should have included. The main one being, you've to play to win, and that means having a suffecient war chest. It really helps to have some deep pocket-types that can contribute some 5 and 6 figure gifts (witness Bill Sizemore, he turns ORegon politics on its ear with his gang-of-six donors).

FOr an initiative in Oregon, the biggest obstacle, in my view, is that gillnetting is just not an issue to 99% of the population.

So, back to the legistlature. Instead of huge expenditures and trying to garner a couple hundredthousand votes, you only need the votes of 31 representatives in the House, 16 in the Senate, and the Governor's signature.

Of course as long as there's a Republican majority in the Legislature that's as hostile to conservation as this one is, such a bill has no chance.

If we want fish conservation -- we're going to have to elect politicians to whom conservation is not a dirty word.

[Steve]

Any of you guys watch CSPAN? E.Furse,R.Wyden,P.Defazio, before congress supported the gillnetters, ban leghold traps,and other eco-terrorism adgendas, I have not heard one positive comment in support of sportsmen...wonder why...if any of you have...I for one would like to hear about it...just so my opinion would be balanced....can't support Al Gore because of his record on guns...so this 30 year Democrat turned Republican...and if they get stupid I'll turn Independant.....I even caught a steelhead Friday....said vote G.W.B on the side....

[RKB]

I also vote no nets .And in talking to people that I know that voted the other way it was do to the Indian nets not being included in the ban.They felt that it was a waste to give up our rights and not the Indians they felt that they would just get our quota and nothing would have changed.We need to ban all nets and I think we would see a large swing in the vote.Steve I'm with you GWB to win.
RKB

[This message has been edited by RKB (edited 10-01-2000).]

[garyk]

Hello Steve?

The question of commercial gillnetting is a state issue, not Federal.

Congress has nothing to do with it.

That's why this thread is talking about a state ballot initiative. The Oregon Legislature has everything to do with the issue -- or could, if a bill banning gill netting was brought before it.

And again to clarify, Treaty fishing is not subject to State law - that is the Federal jurisdiction. That's why it was not covered in the Washington initiative, it couldn't be.

[Steve]

garyk, I was refering to the congressional funding of USFW hatcheries like Eagle Creek, there was strong support for hatcheries to supplement the gillnetters, no mention of sportsmen. Was very apparent who had them in their back pocket...most gillnetters are not full time fishermen...they run the whole list of other jobs, loggers, teachers, farmers, and use their licenses to supplement their yearly incomes. Maybe they should release a bunch of those Bio Engineered Frankenfish and glut the market to the point of making salmon not so profitable...follow the money...

[Big Willie]

Ban those %&@# nets! Btw...it was ignorance that banned cougar hunting w/dogs back in 94. Voters who plain didn't know any better saw those cute little kitties being shot out of tree's, now they are in our backyards! I'm with RT, a reel good ad campaign would show those gill nets being raised with everything that's not supposed to be in them.
My .02 - Gary

Those darling little kitties (cougars) are in "our backyards" because we decided to build in their dwindling territories. I'm sorry, but if you're gonna build on the 'skirts of the town you have to understand the risks. Just like the folks who built on the sandy cliffs of Tillamook County.

As for gill nets in Oregon, it failed last time simply because of the inequality of the balance of funding. The best way to fight this one would be a simple campaign similar to the one that was used againt the tuna industry with the dolphins. Be graphic, be honest. The Columbia is the last river in the continental US to allow gill netting (if I remember right) and Florida recently stopped the practice down there thanks to the cuddly, lovable manatee.

Sturgeon aren't exactly cuddly, but if we could get a similar thing going to show what these nets do...