What does NO DEAL at North of Falcon mean?

[Chasin' Baitman]

Tom, I want to write Will Stelle and also my state reps, but can you give me guidance on what to focus on? I want to keep it simple and "folksy"

[ChiefEd]

I emailed Reichert The following, let me know what you think.

The way NOAA is handling the differences between WDFW and Tribal fisheries is complete biased.
The focus should be on conservation only. WDFW has done a good job outlining fisheries based solely on conservation in mind and the tribes refuse to work towards an agreement on conservation based fisheries.
The dragging of the heals stance NOAA has taken shows discrimination towards recreational fisherman.
The idea that this kind of biased and discrimination exists in our federal agencies is outrageous based on the current fights for equality from all sorts of walks of life.
As one of your constituents I urge you to put pressure on NOAA to do its job and to pass a conservation based fisherie for WDFW in a timely manner and quit being biased in the decision making process.
Thank you,
Ed M

[Nelly]

Other than the spelling of "heels" and "fisheries" I think it's fine!
Thanks for stepping up!

[Nelly]

Tom, I want to write Will Stelle and also my state reps, but can you give me guidance on what to focus on? I want to keep it simple and "folksy"

I would focus on the fact that Bob Turner of NOAA is seen by WDFW and the citizens of the State of Washington as having threatened and misled WDFW.

You may mention that it was NOAA that failed to do it's homework and allowed third-party litigation to damage the Puget Sound steelhead hatchery program.

You could fairly state that the Mitchell Act salmon hatcheries on the Columbia River are under the same risk because of the same inaction by the same agency.

Finally, I would mention that the recreational anglers of the State of Washington want fair treatment and if NOAA can issue the Tribes a permit in time for their fisheries then why can't NOAA give the State of Washington the same treatment?

Give 'em the good word CB

[olympic]

I received a voter voice take action notice from CCA this morning; here is the link: https://www.votervoice.net/CCAPNW/Campa ... 45/Respond I have already posted it to FB in addition to responding to it. In the mean time, let's keep our fingers crossed for tomorrows meeting. Hey Nellie, is that Bob Turner @ NOAA the same Bob Turner who was the WDFW directer back in the late '80's to early '90's? That was also around the time the commercial draggers were allowed to ruin Puget Sound and harvest most of the bottom fish.

[Nelly]

Yes... It's that Bob Turner.
Again, I'm not looking to ask NOAA to do anything more than just be fair and do their job.

[House]

NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
April 27, 2016
Contact: Ron Warren, (360) 902-2799

WDFW, tribes again call off talks
on Puget Sound salmon fisheries

OLYMPIA – After additional discussions Wednesday, state and tribal fishery managers did not reach an agreement for this year’s Puget Sound salmon-fishing seasons.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty tribes separately will continue to seek federal permits necessary for holding marine and fresh water fisheries in Puget Sound, where some fish stocks are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

“We had one last round of negotiations in hopes of ensuring salmon seasons in Puget Sound this year,” said Jim Unsworth, director of WDFW. “Regrettably, we could not agree on fisheries that were acceptable to both parties.”

The department proposed salmon fisheries that allowed anglers to harvest chinook while protecting coho, which are expected to return in low numbers this year. The state’s proposed fisheries met conservation goals that WDFW and the tribes had previously agreed upon, Unsworth said.

State fishery managers are uncertain whether the department will receive the necessary permit in time to hold salmon fisheries in Puget Sound through much of the season.

WDFW and the tribes typically secure a federal permit together for holding Puget Sound salmon fisheries. State and tribal fishery managers did not reach agreement during the annual season-setting process, which concluded in mid-April. Further talks last week were also unsuccessful.

Unsworth said he is hopeful the state and tribes can work together in the future to develop plans to bolster salmon stocks as well as improve the season-setting process.

“We want to work with the tribes to address long-term resource management concerns, such as restoring habitat and increasing hatchery fish production,” Unsworth said. “The breakdown in this year’s negotiations demonstrates the need for a change to the process of setting salmon-fishing seasons.”

Absent an agreement, all non-tribal commercial and recreational Puget Sound salmon fisheries, including Marine Area 13 and year-round fishing piers around Puget Sound, will close May 1 to salmon fishing until further notice.

Any updates on Puget Sound salmon-fishing seasons will be posted to WDFW’s webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/, where summaries of this year’s salmon fisheries for the Columbia River, Washington’s ocean waters and north coastal rivers can be found.

[Nelly]

From within the Puyallup Casino meeting room in Fife, WA yesterday:

Things didn't move toward agreement. Far from it.

The first surprise was that it wasn't the small and focused policy level discussion that WDFW expected. It was more of an ambush as there were about 70-80 Tribal attendees, including tribal policy, legal and technical staff.

For WDFW, Director Jim Unsworth, Ron Warren, John Long, Kyle Adicks, Annette Hoffmann, Darren Freidel who is WDFW's communication expert, and WDFW's modeling expert Jon Carey. Mike Grossman from the Attorney General's office attended as did J.T. Austin from the Gov's office and Bob Turner of NOAA.

The tribes started out with the assumption that WDFW had requested the meeting so they asked WDFW to present a proposal. WDFW did propose some additional cuts to sport fisheries in the Puyallup River but not total closure.

Last week, the Puyallup tribe had proposed total closure of sport fishing in the Puyallup River, and in marine areas 9, 10 and 11, so the WDFW counter-proposal was aimed at the Puyallup proposal.

Puyallup rejected the state's proposal.

The tribes never did present a proposal for their own fisheries. Only sport fishing was discussed. The discussion degenerated into stalemate. NOAA's Bob Turner attempted to salvage the meeting but was met with strong resistance from the tribes and Turner eventually apologized to the tribes for attempting to suggest a compromise.

The meeting lasted two and a half hours and zero progress was made.

[Chasin' Baitman]

Whoa. That sounds like a really ugly scene. Thanks for the update, Tom.

Can you clarify what WDFW's position was going into the meeting? As I understand it, they were fighting for a chinook season in areas 5-13, then closed for coho. And the the tribes were steadfastly against that because of coho impacts. Is that correct?

Also, has there been *any* intimation of what the tribes' position is? From what I am gathering they are planning to net chinook, sockeye and chum (which clearly will result in coho bycatch - wild and hatchery alike)...and even coho "in a few terminal areas where there are identified harvestable hatchery fish" according to and earlier Treaty Tribes press release. Yes?

(I know that it's probably way more granular than this, but I'm trying to get to the essence)

If this is remotely true, it's outrageous. But I want to get the facts straight to legitimize my anger!

[Nelly]

WDFW's proposal is based in science, founded upon conservation and addresses our ESA obligations. The tribes proposal never saw the light of day and I do not know how you can negotiate in good faith if you don't share info.

Under Phil Anderson's tenure as WDFW director, the tribes ran the show and they weren't going to release their grip on our fisheries willingly. The heart of the issue has as much to do with a complete absence of leadership from NOAA and a total lack and consensus among the tribes as anything else.

We must now lean on our Governor, Congressmen and Senators to apply sufficient pressure on NOAA and NMFS to permit our fisheries in time for our summer seasons.
Anything less is unacceptable and the fishing & boating public will remember this come November.

WDFW and Director Unsworth has got this one right.

This could be short-term pain for a long-term gain but I'm 100% behind WDFW and Director Unsworth