Last Saturday, in a move that shocked everyone, (except perhaps Commissioners McIsaac, Baker and Kehoe, and their allies in the WDFW Staff) the WDFW Commission voted to abandon the Columbia River reforms on a 5-1 vote with 2 abstentions. Their vote restores year round non-tribal gillnetting on the Columbia River’s 13 ESA listed stocks, and dramatically shortens sportfishing seasons already pummeled due to drastic declines in salmon and steelhead returns. Many called the maneuver Machiavellian in that the vote was held in Spokane, absent public notice or review. With less than 1,000 wild B run steelhead forecast, the biggest impact will be on the fall fishery this year. This vote is a betrayal to wild fish, and a betrayal to the nearly 400,000 licensed anglers in Oregon and Washington who pay extra to fish in the Columbia River basin.
We expect Oregon Commissioners Buckmaster and Akenson to attempt a similar stunt at their next meeting on Friday March 15th in Salem, by using emergency rules, a procedure the two openly discussed in previous meetings. Commissioner Akenson specifically expressed a desire to ram this through before her term is up this year!
We’ve got to stop this all-out assault on wild fish, sportfishing and our industry! But it will take concentrated and constant effort on your part until we get this travesty fixed! We have action you can take in both Oregon and Washington, and our calls and emails ARE making a difference. We simply cannot let up. Once you have made your calls and emails, pass this alert onto all your employees, customers, vendors, families and friends.
In Washington, Contact Governor Jay Inslee, and your State Senator and State Representative
Tell them: (As always, be polite and professional)
- Who you are and that you either live or work for businesses in their district. Let them know the REAL impacts these decisions will have on our industry.
- Tell them you oppose the Commission’s decision to abandon the Columbia River Reforms and ask them to oppose House Bill 1708 and Senate Bill 5692 (Columbia River Endorsement and Agency Fee increase) until the agency’s bills are amended to reverse this horrible decision and hold WDFW accountable to implement the reforms.
- Ask them to write you back
If you wish, you can call Washington’s Legislative Hotline (800) 562-6000, and leave a message for your Legislators. Ask them to oppose HB 1708 and SB 5692 unless they contain language instructing WDFW to implement the Columbia River gillnet reforms. Let us know you followed through and share your legislator’s responses with us.
In Oregon, – Call (503) 378-4582 or write Governor Kate Brown. Ask her to contact Chair Michael Finley and tell him to not allow a vote on the Columbia reforms on March 15th. There is NO NEED for the Commission to vote on the reforms, when spring and summer salmon and steelhead runs are below 50% of the 10 year averages. Governor Brown will appoint new members to the Commission later this spring and a decision impacting thousands of Oregonians should not be rushed through without an open and transparent process. Pro-Gillnett Commissioners Bruce Buckmaster and Holly Akenson are planning on ramming through these new rules (before their terms end this year) without testimony by ODFW staff or the general public. Governor Brown must stop these closed-door efforts, demand more transparency within the Commission, and appoint people in the future who are committed to protecting our iconic salmon and steelhead and the jobs that depend upon them.
Contact your state Senator and Representative in Salem.
Tell them: (As always, be polite and professional)
- Who you are, and the people and families your represent. Where do you live and where is your primary business.
- Tell them you oppose the Commission’s efforts to abandon the Columbia River Reforms and put non-treaty gillnets back in year round on ESA listed salmon and steelhead. Ask them to oppose Senate Bill 42 (Columbia River Endorsement renewal) until the ODFW Commission slows down and abandons their one-sided, non-transparent decision making without a more open process that considers the jobs of Oregonians across Oregon and Washington.
- Ask them to write you back.
Remember, pass this on, and we WILL ask you to write and call until we get thing back on track. Let us at NSIA know when you’ve written and when you receive an answer back. Thank you!