The solid red line is the new exclusion zone for fishing from August 1 through September 15, 2014.
Today the Oregon Department of Fishing and Wildlife Commission voted 3-2 to close off a very popular section of the storied Buoy 10 fishery at YoungsBay in Astoria.
From August 1 through September 15, sport anglers will no longer be able to fish from the Highway 101 bridge out to the green can navigational buoys in the Columbia River to east of the Skipanon River. ODFW officials have been calling it a “control zone” while most refer to it as the “exclusion zone.”
“When the Northwest Sport fishing Industry Association (NSIA) supported Senate Bill 830 last year, there was an expectation that sport anglers would see a benefit from paying an extra $9.50 per year to fish in the Columbia River and its tributaries,” said Liz Hamilton, executive director of the NSIA. “What the commission did today, by closing so much of this very popular fishery and keeping the $9.50 surcharge, violates the trust between sports anglers and the agency.”
Trey Carskadon, vice president of NSIA, said he felt the entire process was “an affront” to the agreement and to good public policy.
“This is punitive and sets a dangerous precedent,” Carskadon said. “Where do we go from here? Creating good public policy takes finding solutions that satisfy both sides. Today’s action feels very one-sided and punitive.”
“This decision flies in the face of the Governor’s vision that assures everyone wins.” Carskadon said. “This shows a lack of sensitivity to the sport anglers and feels like we are being punished for trying to find a compromise that benefits sports anglers, commercial interests and Astoria.”
Hamilton said that while this was a setback, the NSIA would continue to work on political solutions to this problem.
“Governor John Kitzhaber talked about optimizing the economics of outdoor recreation across the state, and the commission’s decision today is a huge blow to the hotels, restaurants, gas station and tackle and bait shops in ClatsopCounty,” Hamilton said. “NSIA has been looking for ways to promote and enhance the economics of sport fishing, but it is difficult to motivate people who may not want to buy a fishing license if they can’t use an area of Oregon that is known for being a great summer fishery, and haven for small boat owners. That directly impacts the budget of the ODFW.”
NSIA will continue to work to find a political compromise to the commission’s decision today, she said.
“NSIA is committed to working hard during the legislative session, with the governor’s office and ODFW officials to try to get this decision reversed,” Hamilton said. “This will be a major focus of NSIA for 2014.”