The July issue of the Reel News contains an editorial from Terry Sheely titled: Pro-Fishing, Salmon Coalition Demands WDFW Reforms, Promises Cooperation. (But adds warning as state agency pushes for continued secrecy and general fund money to replace legislative cuts.)
Here is the editorial by Terry Sheely;
A powerful coalition of sport-fishing advocate groups is worried that WDFW leadership is planning to make another run at increasing fishing and hunting license fees without changing the policies and management directions that lead to this year’s license holder rebellion and prompted legislative rejection of proposed increases.
Without making changes to controversial policy and management directions that have earned the wrath of many of the state’s one million fishing and hunting license buyers, WDFW has already announced their intent to ask for an allocation from Washington’s 2020 General Fund to replace the short-fall that took place this year when frustrated outdoor advocates successfully dumped a large increase in license fees and cancelled a Columbia River endorsement fee that pumped millions into the state agency.
The coalition is hoping to head off WDFW’s continuation of business as usual, including ignoring feedback from recreational fishers and hunters, negotiating salmon allocations in secret, reducing recreational opportunities in the Columbia River and Puget Sound and failing to enforce the 2013 Kitzhaber Salmon Reforms to now allow year-round industrial gillnets in the mainstem Columbia.
In a letter to WDFW’s commissioners and Director Kelly Susewind, the sport-fishing coalition pledged they, “stand ready to work on meaningful solutions that improve the conservation of our fisheries, maintain and increase recreational fishing opportunities, and broaden WDFW’s support in the public and the legislature.”
They also, however, promised that if significant changes are not implemented by WDFW the agency can expect fishing and hunting license buyers to again mount an anti-funding campaign with sympathetic state legislators. This year an unprecedented rebellion of license buyers focused not on WDFW that has repeatedly stonewalled the recreational segment, but targeted the state legislature.
The strategy proved successful and resulted in the legislature rejecting WDFW’s bid for a 15% license hike and summarily dumping renewal of the Columbia River Endorsement fee that previously generated $11 million for the agency.
Cutting WDFW’s funds has so far been the only tactic to get the attention of the department hierarchy and the five commissioners who voted to re-instate industrial gillnetting in the mainstem Columbia, despite the management reforms prioritizing recreational fishermen and salmon recovery as approved 6-years ago by state legislators in both Oregon and Washington.
Signing on to the coalition letters to WDFW and state legislators are CCA-Washington, Northwest Marine Trade Association, Fish Northwest, NW Guides and Anglers Association, Northwest Steelheaders and Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association (NSIA).
The group wrote, “it is disappointing that an agreement couldn’t be reached on a license fee increase, Columbia River endorsement reauthorization and policy reform package to fully fund the agency and provide legislative direction on key policy issues impacting the management and conservation of fisheries. Despite this failure, we hope significant progress can be made during the interim on critical policy and conservation issues important to building support in the public and in the legislature for a potential license fee increase and policy reform package in the 2020 legislative session.”
They pointed out that, “our organizations were very clear about our concerns with persistent policy implementation and management failures impacting salmon, steelhead, and recreational fisheries.” That five former fish and wildlife commissioners voluntarily wrote state legislators to express their concerns with the present WDFW administration and commissioners was “unprecedented” and evidence of how far astray the agency has gone.
“As WDFW develops options for its 2019-2021 budget,” the group wrote, “and looks ahead to the 2020 legislative session, we urge you to develop a strategy for making meaningful progress on the key policy issues that are essential to the long-term health of our fisheries and WDFW, as well as the individuals, businesses, and communities across the state that rely on recreational fishing. “
The letter tackled issues in both Puget Sound and the Columbia River and urged the state agency to “work with the Governor’s office, the Attorney General and the federal government to restore greater fairness and transparency to the annual North of Falcon (salmon allocation) process.”
Puget Sound: Worst Ever
“Unfortunately, the widespread recreational fishery closures this year will be felt by anglers and the businesses and communities that depend on Puget Sound recreational fisheries. Long-time participants and observers of the annual North of Falcon salmon fishing season-setting process for Puget Sound have described this year as the worst ever – both in terms of process and outcomes for the state’s fisheries. For years, the recreational fishing community has pleaded for change.
“We’ve consistently asked WDFW to remove arbitrary, harmful “in-season management” restrictions that have no basis in conservation – with no success. We’ve highlighted problems with the current system and called for change going back many years. While we appreciate the complexities of co-management, the current North of Falcon process represents death by a thousand cuts for Puget Sound recreational fisheries and the businesses that depend on these fisheries.
In 2017, our organizations sounded the alarm about the potential impacts of policy proposals contained in a draft Puget Sound harvest management plan. Despite the plan being withdrawn by WDFW, these policies and the significant constraints on the mark-selective harvest of hatchery fish across large portions of Puget Sound were included in this year’s North of Falcon agreement.
“The consequences will be devastating. This year’s North of Falcon agreement for Puget Sound fisheries will likely result in the most inequitable sharing of chinook harvest opportunity in the decades-long history of state-tribal co-management and has already inspired litigation challenging the lack of public process and transparency in its development. Instead of benefitting the conservation of ESA-listed wild chinook populations, the agreement merely continues the trend of shifting wild fish mortalities from mark-selective recreational fisheries to non-selective gillnet fisheries.
Columbia River Years of Concern
“The Commission’s March 2 vote to adopt a policy restoring year-round non-selective, non-tribal gillnetting to the mainstem Columbia River generated significant public controversy and opposition to a fee increase and much consternation in the legislature.
“The vote also followed years of concern about the agency’s implementation of the bi-state Columbia River fishery reforms, including failures with the testing of mark-selective commercial fishing gears and inaction on a Commission mandate to develop a gillnet license buyback program first adopted in 2013 and reaffirmed in 2017. We outlined more specific concerns with the Commission’s decision and the agency’s subsequent response in the March 27 letter we sent to the legislature.
“There was a compromise proposal offered in the Senate to mandate a return to the Columbia River policies that were in place 2017-2018 as part of legislation to increase license fees and reauthorize the Columbia River endorsement for an additional four years. Unfortunately, negotiations with WDFW and Rep. Brian Blake broke down without reaching agreement. Last-ditch amendments were offered in both the House (Rep. Sullivan) and Senate (Sen. Salomon) to pass a clean, one-year reauthorization of the Columbia River endorsement. It is our understanding that this proposal was not brought to the floor for a vote due to opposition in the House.
“The Commission’s March vote was a step back in the ongoing efforts to improve the selectivity of Columbia River salmon fisheries, optimize their economic value for our region, and maintain and potentially increase hatchery production levels through selective harvest. In addition to raising serious concerns about transparency and public notice, there was no need to rush a vote in March. The Oregon Commission still hasn’t acted on the bi-state Policy Review Committee recommendations and Oregon Governor Kate Brown has made extensive changes to the makeup of the Oregon Commission – potentially pushing consideration to the Fall or beyond.
“The Washington Commission should take immediate steps to reconsider its March 2 vote and reaffirm the original purposes of the Columbia River reforms, including limiting the use of non-selective gillnets to the off-channel areas. “
Additional Issues Confidence Eroded
The group also warned that, “There are many other unresolved policy issues that continue to erode public confidence in – and support of – WDFW, including the complete closure of the Skokomish River to recreational fishing, management of the Baker Lake sockeye fishery, the long-stalled Point No Point boat launch, and WDFW’s management of Cowlitz River fisheries and mitigation hatcheries. Meaningful action on these and other issues would go a long way towards building increased support for WDFW.
“Our organizations stand ready to work on meaningful solutions that improve the conservation of our fisheries, maintain and increase recreational fishing opportunities, and broaden WDFW’s support in the public and the legislature.
They also, not so subtly, warned the agency that, “We will also continue asking our members to engage with their legislators asking for their leadership on these policy issues ahead of the 2020 legislative session.”
They reminded the elected officials that, “Recreational anglers and the businesses that make up the $1 billion recreational fishing industry in Washington are passionate about the management of these fisheries and the importance of conserving them for future generations.
“WDFW has already announced they will be requesting additional General Fund support in the 2020 Supplemental Budget to address their budget shortfall. At this point, it is unclear to us if the Department is going to pursue a license fee increase in the 2020 legislative session. From our perspective, unless something changes within WDFW between now and the start of the next legislative session, it is difficult to see how there will be additional public and stakeholder support from organizations like ours. “
You can read the letter in its entirety HERE.