Measure 81 coming up for a vote

[wozniasm]

Has anyone gotten a letter from Duncan Law regarding the impact on Measure 81 where he indicates if it passes, would not allow (bans) commercial gillnet fishing for Oregon but Washington would still be able to do it?

 

[halibuthitman]

if measure 81 passes what would all the lousy $hitty fishermen use for an excuse... only so many sealions out there ya know... guess we could ***** about ocean conditions I guess... why would anyone who has a 6th grade diploma even finish reading measure 81?

 

[wozniasm]

Per the Duncan Law letter, it would impact Oregon seafood wholesalers from buying fresh caught salmon and stugeon...

 

[tnffishman]

That letter doesn't really give you all the facts. It's not that a commercial season of some kind on the Columbia would be impossible to have. It's just that gillnets are devices that kill any fish that it comes in contact with, hatchery or wild. As opposed to sport fishermen who release wild fish unharmed more often than not

 

[lizardman]

A few years ago I posted a pictorial here on this site of a gil-net being taken out of the water and all the dead fish that weren't the targeted specie (salmon). This net was owned by one of the tribes and I watched them throw dead sturgeon, dead steelhead, dead walleye, dead bass, and other specie back into the water. I also posted a picture of the damage done to some of the fish that lived and were thrown on the bank to some sport fishermen.

Don't get me wrong as I like to fish right along with the next guy, but I deplore gil nets of any kind as there are better methods that allow fish to be released unharmed. The problem with the tribal nets which measure 81 has no impact on is that the Indians will set their nets, go on a drinking binge and don't check their nets every day (you're lucky if the net gets pulled once a week) which causes many fish deaths and then because of the time the fish is in the net they start to decay and become inedible.

I have no problem with Native Americans (Indians) having hunting and fishing rights outside of the seasons the rest of us observe if we want to stay legal, I do have a problem with them not using Native Methods to harvest their game and fish. If they are going to gil net then let them take a row boat and not a motorized craft to place their nets and retrieve their nets, also the net and float for the net need to be hand made with traditional material and not commercially made with modern materials.

Dave

 

[halibuthitman]

Dave, while I would really like to agree with you on the traditional angle, the gillnets were a concession made due to the fact that the falls where they traditionaly built platforms to fish are now flooded by dams... dams, a WHOLE nother issue in itself- Brad

 

[lizardman]

Dave, while I would really like to agree with you on the traditional angle, the gillnets were a concession made due to the fact that the falls where they traditionaly built platforms to fish are now flooded by dams... dams, a WHOLE nother issue in itself- Brad

Brad where I totally understand your point, I guess my point isn't the traditional method as much as the need for them to monitor their nets so that their isn't the waste and donate any specie they aren't going to keep to some sort of charity if it can't be released to live (too much damage and it should go in the boat) as I saw many pounds of usable meat in the form of dead fish get thrown back into the river. At least the commercial fishermen have to monitor their nets on some sort of regulated schedule (don't get me started on their waste as I don't agree with wasting food...... I would rather pick up a freshly hit deer than to leave it for coyotes and other carion, but I don't as I don't want to pay the "tax" in the way of a fine that I would incur if I were to harvest a freshly hit deer).

Around here the Indians will leave the net sometimes for weeks and months on end without checking them leading to the top rope of the net becoming a hazard to boaters. There have for years around here been nets cut and hay bales dropped into the nets; I don't agree with these acts either.

When I find a net that is under water I usually call ODFW who will come out with Tribal police and pull the net and usually all the fish in the net are dead and rotting (a couple hundred pounds of sturgeon, salmon, steelhead, catfish, and other specie to the Columbia.