Download official campaign position on fishing in Washington

Dino Rossi Releases Official Position on Fishing in Washington State
Dino Rossi has long been a supporter of recreational fishing. Raised one of seven children, Dino
often spent weekends with his family enjoying the natural beauty of our state with a rod and reel.
Today as a father of four children, you will still find Dino along the riverbanks with his kids trying
to catch dinner. Dino understands that the recreational fisher in Washington enjoys a way of life
that needs to be protected and preserved. As Governor, Dino will implement policies that ensure
our children and grandchildren enjoy these same natural resources for years to come.
Dino Rossi also understands that the recreational fishing industry brings in a substantial amount of
money to both the state and local economies. He also has a proven track record of supporting
hatchery funding and reform, and will continue this direction as Governor.
Adoption of Selective Harvest Practices for Salmon
We have a number of salmon populations in our state that are listed under the federal Endangered
Species Act (ESA) and need to be protected to ensure their recovery. But we also have many
healthy hatchery runs of salmon that are available for harvest that are inter-mixed with the ESAlisted stocks. The Gregoire administration has allowed for the continued destructive harvest of
protected stocks in several non-selective commercial fisheries. Utilization of selective harvest
practices provides opportunities for expansion of recreational fishing seasons, allows for the growth
of several existing selective harvest commercial salmon fisheries, and opens the door for other
innovative methods for selectively harvesting hatchery salmon. Conservation of sensitive and listed
stocks is the key to the salmon recovery that all of our state’s citizens want while maintaining our
Northwest culture and lifestyle.
At the August 2007 Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting in Olympia, the Hatchery
Scientific Review Group (HSRG), an independent organization studying needed hatchery reforms
both in facility improvement and salmon hatchery stock changes, testified before the Commission
that continuing on the current salmon management regime allowing non-selective harvest of ESAlisted salmon, would – at best – assure the status quo in wild salmon populations, and at worst could
even assist the continued decline of wild salmon. Congressman Norm Dicks re-enforced the
testimony of the Vice Chair of the HSRG and encouraged the F&W Commission to adopt selective
salmon fishing as a Commission policy. As yet, the Gregoire-appointed Commission has not
adopted selective salmon harvest as a policy.
As Governor, Dino Rossi will retain or appoint Fish and Wildlife Commissioners who share
his vision of a selective salmon harvest policy as a tool to restore our wild salmon, and who
will also further promote wise management of all our state’s fish and wildlife lands and
resources.
Dino Rossi’s goal is to expand salmon fishing opportunities for everyone through the adoption
of selective harvest practices, as well as needed hatchery reform. He wants state policies to
change so that we work for the day when all who fish here share an abundant resource rather
than wait for the day when we fight over the last fish. In addition to innovations in
recreational and commercial harvest practices, Dino believes that we can not only realize the
restoration of our once great wild salmon runs, but also have salmon available for everyone,
whether they want to catch it themselves on a family fishing outing or purchase a fresh
salmon in a market. Selective harvest is key in achieving that goal.
Derelict Fishing Gear Removal
The Puget Sound Derelict Fishing Gear Program, conducted by the federally funded Northwest
Straits Commission (NWSC), estimates that there are nearly 4,000 derelict fishing nets, also known
as ghost nets, remaining in the waters of Puget Sound. These nets continually ensnare untold
thousands of fish, seabirds, marine mammals and other organisms throughout the extended life of
the rot-resistant synthetic mesh. In addition to nets, the bottom of Puget Sound is littered with an
estimated 14,000 derelict recreational and commercial crab pots estimated to be killing as many as
half a million crabs per year.
There are also significant amounts of derelict fishing gear in the Columbia River.
More attention is needed to address this silent killer of marine life. There is no state or federal
agency solely responsible for the removal of derelict fishing gear. Furthermore, funding for this
effort is woefully inadequate. A relatively modest investment of $5 to $6 million would fund the
removal of 90% of the Puget Sound ghost nets and a significant number of derelict crab pots.
One state agency should be vested with the responsibility for removing derelict fishing gear.
Legislation should be enacted at the state level to create a mandatory system for tracking and
reporting derelict fishing gear, along with a user fee system for funding its removal.
As Governor, Dino Rossi will fund $6 million in the state budget to remove abandoned fish
nets and crab pots from state waters.
Salmon Interception
The United States and Canada recently approved a new Salmon Interception Treaty. The new treaty
requires Alaska and Canada to provide safe passage each year for an anticipated additional return of
100,000 Northwest produced Chinook salmon back to Washington and Oregon for the next 10
years. About 65,000 of these Chinook salmon are hatchery-raised, fin-clipped fish. The question
among recreational, treaty, and commercial fishers, as well as salmon conservationists, is how
should these hatchery Chinook be shared? Currently, Governor Gregoire’s office has no plan.
As Governor, Dino Rossi’s plan will be:
•
Continued communication and participation in a U.S./ Canada domestic conservation plan
that provides safe passage for wild Chinook back to their natal streams.
•
Oversee a domestic selective fishing harvest plan that intercepts a large portion of
hatchery-produced salmon prior to spawning in their river/hatchery of origin.
Hatchery Funding and Reform
Hatcheries have a vital role to play in aiding the conservation and recovery of natural populations of
salmon and steelhead while also contributing to sustainable fisheries. There are hundreds of
hatchery programs operating throughout coastal Washington and the Columbia basin. In recent
years important hatchery review efforts, including the Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG),
have illustrated the need for better funding and operation of state, federal and tribal hatcheries. The
two largest salmon advocacy organizations in the state, The Coastal Conservation Association
(CCA), and Puget Sound Anglers (PSA), as well as several commercial salmon fishing
organizations have gone on record at Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission meetings in
favor of hatchery funding and reform, and support the important role that hatcheries have to play in
conserving and sustaining salmon stocks.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) operates nearly 100 hatcheries in
Washington State. It is important that WDFW move forward with implementing hatchery reform
efforts, including hatchery production that supports mark selective fisheries. Hatchery
improvements must be funded to ensure the future of salmon recovery AND the future of all fishing
in our state.
Without hatchery-raised salmon and steelhead, fishing as we know it will cease to exist in
Washington. Funding hatchery improvements provides an investment in the future of our fishing
communities, the tourist industry, the fishing tackle industry, and the boat building industry, and
guarantees the continuation of the Northwest outdoor lifestyle and culture.
The Democratic leadership of recent years has failed to adequately fund hatcheries for the raising of
salmon or steelhead. Hatchery funding has continued to be neglected and under funded by the
Gregoire administration. This irresponsible budgetary shortfall and subsequent detrimental effect to
salmon recovery and salmon harvest for both recreation and commercial fishing falls directly into
the lap of the Gregoire administration and Democratic leadership.
Dino Rossi supports hatchery reform and considers hatcheries to be a vital link in building
healthy salmon populations. He has a documented history of supporting hatcheries and
hatchery funding as a State Senator and he will continue to support hatchery funding as
Governor.