State of Fisheries...Conversation with Jim Unsworth

[SlumRunner]

After listening to the interview with the commissioner this morning, I feel the outlook for improved opportunities is very bleak. To sum it up, he sounds very defeated. The only way to get more opportunities is to work with the tribes, and they have all the power and final say. Very discouraging. Of course if the forecasts improve we will be able to fish more, but nothing is preventing this type of fiasco from happening again in the future. Really freaking sad.

[olympic]

The outlook does look very sad indeed. They are even stooping so low as to dip net fish right out of the fish ladder @ the Ballard Locks! "A big middle finger to us!" They are also tossing the smaller ( #8 and under) Chinook and Coho caught in nets onto the beach up by Potlatch claiming they are too small to bother with to sell. Couldn't they have donated these fish to a food bank? C'mon folks; this is a waste of our resource! This location is just north of the mouth of the Skokomish river where they demanded no bank anglers allowed to catch hatchery Chinook that we paid for. We sports need to unite and I think CCA is the place to do that and I hope that we can push the feds to enforce the boldt decision and stevens act to demand what is rightfully our rights. We also need to boycott their casinos. This is discrimination and tribal greed at it's worst. If there are first nation folks out there offended by what I have posted here, I have a message for you. Please get with the tribes that are causing all of this hostility and fix this! I know relations between tribal fishers and WDFW managed user groups can be turned around quickly starting @ this upcoming NOF season setting process. Everyone would benefit if we could all get along better! The tribal mantra that I heard, "Get 'em before the white man does" is very wrong and is a terrible reflection of the mistakes our ancestors did over a century ago during the Indian wars! Two wrongs do not make a right!!! This is now........we are here and so are you......we need to get along! Let's stop these hostilities and put our collective energies to doing what is best to recover our resources! We ALL want more fish, right? Then let's put our energy together and work towards that to restore habitat, develope hatcheries to produce as many fish as possible, and work together to stomp out the Wild Fish Conservancy!!!

[SlumRunner]

Very well said Olympic...the direction our fisheries is going is pathetic. Don't get me wrong, I really like Jim Unsworth and the passion he had at the beginning of the year to change things. Now that he's been at the job for a year, he realizes all the red tape and political bullshit you have to go through to change anything. He realizes we're screwed, and we are forced to be held hostage to whatever the natives want. I would gladly take 50:50 share with the tribes as outlined in the Boldt Decision. What we have right now is no where even close to 50:50.

Someone posted a video of the tribes dip netting the freaking fish ladder at the locks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? At this point, I'm tempted to just fish wherever I want whenever I want and just catch and release. I'm pretty sure the sound is still open for dogfish, if I troll a cut plug at Possession and happen to catch some coho that I have to release than so be it.

Really freaking sad - at this rate fishing will be something that we just tell our children about, you can forget actually take them fishing with you.

[billm]

I for one am getting tired of the selfishness of the tribes in this regard. I am also tired of the use of “co-managers” when describing the tribes. The term “co” means together, in common, jointly, or to complement. This couldn’t be further from the truth or what is actually occurring. There is no fairness in what they are doing, pure greed. They are taking advantage of the situation, and are laughing all the way to the bank. There are studies that show the tribes taking as much as 80% of the harvestable fish in certain waters (100% Puget Sound coho), while the anglers seasons have been reduced or eliminated. The Puyallup, Green, Skokomish, Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Lake Roosevelt, Point No Point, and on. Where does it stop? They want to fish for cultural reasons, and for subsistence. Now it is for significant profit. I for one am getting to the point of allowing the hatcheries to close. Why should I and the citizens of this state pay for something, only to be taken advantage of? Now I read where the “co-managers” are throwing fish on the banks because they are too small. I also see where they are allowed to net rivers where it is open for angler fishing. How is this fair? Again, is this a 50% share?

I just listened to the interview with the Director. I feel sorry for him and his staff. They have been working so hard to level the playing field and work with the tribes, only to be undermined by the tribes and the federal agencies. Just a few short months ago there was a positive feeling that fair and equitable arrangements could be achieved for the sport angler. It is now sad to hear how beaten down he has become. I fear things will get much worse before they get better. Sorry for being so negative, but I am getting tired of the tribes BS and greed.