Rule to Change: releasing fish with adopose fin to protect wild fish
New Rule Proposal: Keep any legal salmon up to the number needed to complete your limit.
Why the change is needed: When any salmon is released after it has been landed or fought to the point it would be landed, it is already a damaged fish. It makes no sence to release these fish only to watch the blue sharks or seals finish the job. Set the quota for each groupe harvesting and let them harvest. When the fish enter the rivers do the same thing. In the river situation do not open the fishery to any user groupe until the number of fish needed to sustain the run is already on the spawning ground or in the hachery.
Names of individuals or groups with whom you have discussed this change: Charter fish captains in Westport. Indian gillnet fishermen in Skagit river.
Describe their support and/or concerns:
Same as mentioned above. The nets do not discriminate between hachery ot wild fish so why should anybody else. It needs to be managed far more efficiently than is presently happening. Let the fish that make it to the rivers be fish that have not been weakened by being caught before, and let enough healthy fish make it to the spawning grounds before you open the fishing up to all user groups. Manage the entire run with quota and limits instead of wheather the fish is wild or hachery. They don't care if they don't go into the hachery they spawn with the wild fish and become wild fish.
Submitted by: FELT, DAVID L — MOUNT VERNON , WA
Date submitted: 04/26/2012
WDFW Rule Proposal Recommendation
Not Recommended for further consideration Reference ID: DFW715984
Reasons not recommended for further consideration
Salmon, goes through the North of Falcon process This proposal deals with salmon. Salmon seasons are set through the Pacific Fisheries Management Council/North of Falcon process. This process adopts a cohesive set of rules for sport and commercial salmon fisheries, from ocean fisheries to those inside Puget Sound including freshwater fisheries each year during March and April.
Your proposal will be provided to the manager(s) responsible for this species so that it can be considered during the appropriate rulemaking process.
Online Public Comments(1 comments)
VETTER, ED September 22, 2012 OLYMPIA, WA Comments: I agree entirely with this proposed rule change. I fish out of Westport several times each season and am dismayed at the number of dead wild Coho that float on the ocean surface while we try to find a "hatchery" fish to keep. I know many other wild fish are left badly injured only to be taken by other predators. Letting us keep the first fish caught of legal size would be clearly best for the run as a whole.
