Carl Burke, the NSIA lobbyist, Liz Hamilton, executive director and several NSIA board members have been hard at work making sure we continue to make gains for anglers across the region.
Increasing outdoor recreation: Gov. Jay Inslee is poised to sign an executive order aimed at promoting and increasing outdoor recreation. Burke has been meeting with Inslee’s staff to make sure they understand the economic impact of sport fishing on the Washington economy. Hamilton is also making sure the industry has representation on a blue ribbon panel Inslee is creating to develop a strategy, make recommendations and action plan make sure Washington uses its outdoor assets to their full potential.
Hatchery funding: While in Oregon the hatchery system is facing legal challenges, in Washington there are more financial ones. NSIA representatives are working with senior staff at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and other stakeholders to send a letter to Washington’s congressional delegation and Inslee’s office about the importance of keeping hatcheries fully-funded. This also includes funding for monitoring and research from the federal government. NSIA board and staff are also reviewing the latest round of anti-hatchery lawsuits in Puget Sound.
Steelhead Recovery Plan: The NSIA is also working closely with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop a steelhead recovery plan for the state. The goal is to provide more opportunities for winter steelhead fishing. Burke, Hamilton and several Washington board members, along with high-ranking officials at the WDFW are examining specific hatcheries for increased steelhead production and the costs that would be associated with that. They are also compiling a list of streams where brood stock programs can be created without compromising ESA listings. Another goal of this program is to work closely with the WDFW to gain federal support for re-opening the Skagit River in 2015 to a catch and release fishery.
Youngs Bay Exclusion Zone: The last two weeks the NSIA has been hard at work on both sides of the Columbia on the Youngs Bay exclusion zone. We are working closely with members of the WDFW Commission to oppose any increase in the exclusion zone and to postpone any allocation shift for spring chinook to the upper and mid-Columbia River until after the 2016 changes have been implemented. We want to see how these changes will impact harvest.
2014 Legislature: As always Burke is going to be deeply involved in the Washington Legislature this year, monitoring bills that could impact sport fishing.
Thank you to members of the NSIA board in Washington who are spending time on these issues and helping us in our mission. Without industry support, the NSIA couldn’t work on all of these issues at once. Thank you.
If you have any questions, give Liz Hamilton, executive director, a call at 503-631-8859.