Greetings!
The Northwest Steelheaders is working with our allies to expand sportfishing seasons and catch, while at the same time reducing impacts to ESA-listed wild fish. We have introduced a bill in 2012 Oregon Legislature, known as SAFE for Salmon, to move gillnets off the mainstem Columbia River. We are also very alarmed that an effort is being made by ODFW and WDFW staff to cut recreational sport fishing seasons on the Columbia River for spring chinook. Specifically, for 2012 the harvest matrix the agencies use to allocate Spring Chinook ESA impacts in the Columbia decreases sport fisheries by nearly 17%. Last year, the sharing agreement for ESA impacts was 60% sport and 35% commercial. This year the sport share of the ESA impacts decreases to 50% and the gillnet share increases to 45%! This is happening without factoring in any of the fish caught by gillnetters in the SAFE areas. This recommendation punctuates just how flawed and broken the system of allocation and management of these stocks is. Adopting their proposal would mean unnecessarily forfeiting tens of millions of dollars of economic benefit that comes to Oregon and Washington through much-needed tourism and direct benefits to a broad range of local industries and interests. During these trying economic times, in a river with 13 ESA-listed fish populations, it's hard to believe we are seeing a proposal to grow this archaic and outdated fishery management. The SAFE (or terminal commercial fishing) areas successfully deliver tens of thousands of hatchery salmon to the market. For the last several years the commercial gillnet fleet has harvested more fish in the SAFE areas than the sport fleet is allocated in 140 miles of fishing below Bonneville dam, and their mixed stock gillnet fisheries in the mainstem are as big or larger than they were in the mid 1990s This all happened without any adjustment to benefit the sportfishing community. Growing mainstem non-tribal gillnet fisheries is killing jobs and killing the conservation benefits to wild fish that the SAFE areas were designed for. It also brings very, very little back to the states in terms of commercial permit and license fees. This decision will be made soon - likely within the week. We need your voice RIGHT NOW to help overcome this setback. Please take action today to save our fishing, protect wild fish, and help our economy. If you live in Washington, please contact the WDFW Commission. In you live in Oregon, please contact the Governor's Office and your state legislators. A personal letter (email) in your own words is always best. Tell about yourself, stay polite and professional and seek a response. Do not rip on the gillnetters. Their harvest in the SAFE areas is providing important jobs and hatchery fish to the market. The message is: On what is forecast to be the fourth largest run of spring chinook since 1938, sports anglers are facing potential reductions in their season. With these reductions come significant impacts in revenue to the state, rural and urban communities, revenue to ODFW and WDFW through license sales, tourism and expenditures related to boating, fishing and outdoor recreation. These impacts could easily total into the tens of millions of dollars at a time when Oregon and Washington can ill-afford to be forfeiting economic opportunities. We need to do what is best for jobs in Oregon and Washington and do a better job of protecting ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. Please help resolve this conflict, grow jobs, provide better protection to wild fish, and provide more income to fish management agencies. The fish and the economy need your help today! | 
