Nehalem Hatchery question... who is up on it?

Jennie@ifish · 11-28-2001, 06:50 PM

Got this letter in the mail and I would like help/opinions on the current status:

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I've read your articles pertaining to the Nehalem Hatchery. With that information and easy access to IFish, I've been informing and other encouraging fisherman to pay attention to what is going on.
In doing so, I was talking to a guy yesterday about this years fishing and related stuff. I got around to the issue of closing the Nehalem hatchery and he said they decided not to. He said that, Tillamook county offered to run it or at least help fund it, which caused the State to re-think it (government creative book keeping) and keep it going.
As you may know, you can't believe everything you hear from fishermen. I would really like to believe this one (and that the governor is leaving office, the state, etc., etc.).

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Help?

SteelieSteve · 11-28-2001, 07:13 PM

What is it we are funding with our license fees and tax dollars? Fees have doubled in price in the last 20 years, is this only to buy new rigs for troopers and pay there wages? I have a real problem with the way the funding is dispersed. We pay the increased fees to fund these hatcheries. Don't we? Sorry to get on the soapbox but this issue sets me off. I've seen no improvement in fishery with the added fees. Leads me to beleive this is top level mismanagement with to many big salaries coming out of the fee increases. Funny how the fishing was so good 20 years ago without all this management, and there was substancial hatchery production resulting in some very good returns to our rivers. I used to fish the NF Nehalem heavily every winter but the expense and time required for the return has to be justified. It hasn't been for quite a few years. I feel our fishery management is dropping the ball totally, State and Federal.

[ 11-28-2001: Message edited by: SteelieSteve ]</p>

Point-of-Sale Clerk · 11-28-2001, 07:19 PM

http://www.ecotrust.org/publications/hatcheries.html

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/.../proposals.pdf

*** Clerk

willametteriveroutlaw · 11-28-2001, 07:23 PM

Alot of our liscense fees go to fund trails and parks for everyone.. Peronally I feel this is a miss allocation of funds.. we already pay for all of the national parks, refuges, and help people who close down our fishing. Just remember when voting comes around, we need an outdoorsman govenor. Although its a little off the subject, I 'd like to have one who would work with congress to repeal the hound hunting laws. O.K. I'll get off my soapbox now. Also does anyone know when they are going to have another volunteer day for helping with fin clipping at the independent hatcheries? (i.e three river with there fall chinook run)

Straydog · 11-28-2001, 07:43 PM

Hold er folks! I know little specificaly about the Nehalem hatchery but am a little blown away by some of what I read in this thread.

Steelie Steve, you say you have seen no return on your hatchery investment over the last 20 years?

Where were you during all of the recent years of ZERO coho fishing in most of our coastal waterways and offshore??

These are not wild fish we are getting to keep four of today while we couldn't even fish for them for decades.

And the phenominal Springer seasons we saw all up and down the coast this year? A discouragingly high precentage of hatchery fish made up those runs.

I am not a huge fan of the current management of our hatcheries nor would I go too far in defending the recent fiscal responsiblity of the Department. However, one size fit all statements like there has been no increase in our fisheries in the last 20 years is not an argument that is going to hold much water in the current debate over hatcheries.

:shocked:

WaterDog · 11-28-2001, 09:03 PM

wilamatteriveroutlaw,
Tillimook Angler's does finclipping at the Wiskey Creek Hatchery in April. I'm usually there and will post the info when the date is set.

SteelieSteve · 11-28-2001, 09:22 PM

Waterdog
Yes the silvers have made a huge comeback. My comments are mostly centered on Steelhead which is a small fraction of what it was 20 years ago. Plantings of hatchery steelhead smolts are maybe 10% of what they were in 1980. The NF was a premeir steelhead fishery then. The most informed person I know of is hustlerjim. He lives on the river and does more than just talk of reform.. Last winters hatchery steelhead return was poor. If the planted numbers are greatly reduced then the returns can only be bad. This is a hatchery stream which I'd like to see produce as it once did. Other hatchery rivers share the same results ie. the Sandy. I want my fish dollars to be used to increase the return not make trails, teach kids to fish or feed state workers retirement funds. sorry about the soapbox.

TheRogue · 11-29-2001, 05:10 AM

And, I'm sure that non-fisherpeople and hunters really don't want their general fund tax dollars supporting any of the fishing and hunting wildlife programs, or the wildlife enforcement by the state police. License and fee $$$ alone simply cannot begin to support the state's hatchery system, much less the support staff working in the background. It's as simple as that!!

Mismanagement?? of course there is. But to suggest that your license and tag $$$ do anything more than support the hatchery programs is not realistic.

Kyle

Straydog · 11-29-2001, 06:53 AM

I agree Kyle. It is not practical to think all fees can be earmarked just for hatcheries.

I would also ask folks to consider that if we don't use some resources teaching kids to fish and to appreciate the experience, there soon will be no one to buy licenses to keep the cycle going.

As for our license fees going for trails, that is a new one on me. Does anyone have more detailed info on this?

And again, yes the department does need to have it's feet held to the fire and we should all be involved in working to bring about change.

BTW, while Hustlerjim may be the go to source for info on the Nehalem and I certainly appreciate anyone that walks the walk rather than just talk the talk, he certainly does not hold the corner on the market of actually doing something to bring about reform. There are many of us out here.

Point-of-Sale Clerk · 11-29-2001, 08:49 AM

Hatcheries give us by far the smallest bang for our buck. Our money in the form of license fees or tax dollars are spent in many ways. The following is a link to the most recent data (from 6:01 this morning) regarding research on the Nehalem:

ftp://ftp.dfw.state.or.us/pub/Jody%2...ort%202001.doc

This link contains some cool pictures of the Nehalem:

ftp://ftp.dfw.state.or.us/pub/Jody%20White/PICTURES/

*** Clerk