More controversy over Elwha restoration after dam removal

[Chuck S]

The net bans on the south eastern Atlantic states as well as the Gulf states have worked wonders on several species and would do the same here. The CCA and a few magazines led the charge there including the widely read Florida Sportsman under a superb Conservationist Mr. Karl Wickstrom! This article shows how it's not just the nets but the politics behind them as well as the federal and state agencies that pass laws that benefit the commercial fishing industry at the expense of the fish, the sports angler and more. http://www.floridasportsman.com/2011...vation-record/
Get the Nets out now!

[Kerry Stratton]

CCA is in Washington. How effective they have been over the past five or so years I'm not sure of. The big difference between Washington State and other states is the treaty tribes. They have fishing rights given them by the federal goverment via treaties. Many attemtps have been made to challenge those rights to no avail. Look up the Boldt decision. I doubt CCA will have as much success here as they have had in the Alantic states or the gulf states.

[Chuck S]

Get the remainder of the nets out, leaving the Tribal nets, and you'd be pleasantly surprised! When I was there and very active in the leadership of TU we didn't have the CCA, and I and many others left TU when they and several other so-called conservation organiztions spoke out to defeat the Net Ban initiatives. No big surprise there as the Commercial Fishing/Netting organizations and lobbyists funneled a lot of money into the so-called Defense of the Environment organizations. A very politically crooked bunch back then and possibly it still remains that way to this day. TU members are to be congratulated many times over for their many accomplishments with on the ground projects but that's all to no avail as long as the netters keep decimating the adult, returning salmon from Alaska to the rivers mouths. At one time I had the stats on the Columbia/Snake River stocks and the commercial netters were knocking off 80% plus of that run off the coast of Alaska and BC. No wonder the fish are struggling.

[Kerry Stratton]

The issue with Washington is the fact that WDFW is mandated to provide for the commercial fishing industry over everything else. It is the law. Until the laws are changed allowing WDFW to manage for the resource alone nothing will change.

I haven't seen CCA do squat in Washington except ask for money.

[Chuck S]

The initiatives would have changed that overnight! I strongly suspect they the CCA in Washington is not even close enough in membership and money to take on the Commercial Fishing Lobby and their many bought off supporters, and the so-called enviro and save the salmon organizations will be of no help with that one. For those interested in getting the nets out look long and hard at their, the CCA's, record elsewhere where state laws read much the same and pay special heed to the rebound of the various fisheries once the nets were gone. If you really want to cure many if not most of the ills with wild fish, native fish and more it's relatively simple, GET THE NETS OUT!!!!!