Gillnet Charity

[Trick]

Upon closer reading of the fall select-area gillnet seasons on the OFDW website I happened to notice who is funding the net pens. It isn't who I thought it was. Check out the following link http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrFish/InterFish/fallsafact.2001.pdf .
As our power rates continue to climb we can rest in the knowledge that a certain percentage of our bill will be going to the fall gillnet welfare program. Maybe we can create a few more millionaires at the expense of ratepayers. Way to go BPA.

[ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: Trick ]

[Krome Brite]

That just plain sucks! [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

[Trick]

One more thing that bothers me about these off-sight net fisheries other than the BPA financing the net pens. They shoot for a 100% net-pen harvest. How do they protect the wild stocks that run up the streams in these areas like the Lewis and Clark river, Big Creek, Klatskanie River, etc... Are the wild stocks any less important in these river systems?

34 nights of fishing. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> Area is expanded to include the Knappa slough fishing area to reduce congestion and to harvest the expected large coho return destined for Big Creek hatchery. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


What the hell is going on?????What does the public funded hatchery return have to do with the BPA funded net-pen return. They are shooting for a near 100% target on this specific hatchery return.

Who cares about congestion bewtween the netters anyways. It doesn't appear that they ever care about congestion within the sport population.

This may not directly influence the rivers most of you fish, but I find it trully sickening that the state is allowing a commercial season to target an entire run into one creek. Where do the wild fish fall into this equation. How can Big Creek maintain the ESA escapement goals with such an aggresive netting schedule.


Please, somebody set me straight here....I'm close to blowing a vessle on this one. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

Follow the money trail....



BAN ALL NETS !!!

[ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: Loosing sleep on this one ]

[ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: Trick ]

[Hoosier Daddy]

OK, not to defend gillnetters, but....I think if you assume that they are going to take X number of fish, I would rather have them taking X number of net-pen fish than X number of river run fish and wild or native fish. A real "lesser of two evils" thing, but that's probably why it is that way to start with, to divert pressure off of the other Columbia stocks. Now, if those fish aren't replacing fish that they used to harvest (don't have any numbers to suggest one way or another), then we are talking about some unfairness. But I doubt BPA just started paying for fish for the gillnetters in addition to what they used to harvest anyway. Not BPA's style. I can see them paying for development of a fishery to divert pressure from upriver stocks though. Not knowing enough about this, these are just speculation though.

Trick - don't know what the deal is with wild fish in that system. Are there wild's left there? Maybe their spawning timing is different?

[Trick]

I don't have a huge problem with a 100% target on the Blind Slough net pen fish. If the BPA wants to use the money I pay my rates with in this fashion (I'd rather see them just give the money to netters to keep them home), then I'll concede to that.

Problem I have with the ODFW is that they are letting them target an entire non-netpen run because there might be congestion of Washington/Oregon gillnetters in the original target area.

Are there any "wild" coho left in these rivers? I would assume so since they have a must-release clause for all non-finclipped fish in these areas.

34 days in a 6 week period sounds really extreme to me in an area like this. With the extremly low water it's going to cause fish to holdup in these areas and I just don't see the proper escapement happening.

These areas had good runs prior to the netpens and I feel its too extreme for an area to be singled out and then to have them shove the fleet into the spot and then decide it's too cramped. The solution to that is to sacrafice a taxpayer funded hatchery run, along with any wild fish, for the year. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

How would alot of you feel if they set up net-pens in the multnomah channel. Decided this because it doesn't affect the upriver run. Then proceed to net the hell out of it during the spring and fall runs to retain 80% of the run. The 80% is a guess based on the 34 nights of fishing during the 6 week period. They then decide that there is to much congestion in the channel and then let them move up the Willamete to the falls, so that the pressure is spreadout. I'd bet we would scream louder then.

I grew up in that area and I probally have a more vested emotional feeling towards it. Yes, they have always netted it, since I can remember (doesn't make it right). I'm concerned about the existing run being unfairly divided up and the "Sport" oppurtunities being eliminated for the local guy who may not have a boat to enjoy the Buoy 10 area, or the money to buy out-of-state tags to get in on the Cowlitz 6-fish limit. I bet you ask any sport-fisherman who lives in that area and you'll get similiar responses.


One more comment about the ODFW posting. How come they justify netting this area so that the large hatchery run can be harvested, when every hatchery in the state is getting a large hatchery run??? You let them make statements like this for one stream and next year the area may be expanded again to include waters near you.


They can have the x-amount of netpen fish in this area. Use the release figures and the mortality rates to come up with the x figure for the pens. Leave the hatchery/wild out of the equation. Keep them in the netpen area and don't let them move outside of it just because of congestion. I'm OK with that. It's letting them have this extreme season on a run that is not net-reared that is rubbing me the wrong way.

[Hoosier Daddy]

can't say I blame you. Wish I knew more about it so I could come up with something to comment on, but......