Thirty-six Washington lawmakers have signed on to a letter urging the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to push ahead in January with full implementation of the bistate Columbia River salmon reforms.
Reforms adopted by Washington and Oregon in early 2013 allocated more chinook salmon to sportsmen in the main Columbia and restricted gillnetting to off-channel sites like Youngs Bay near Astoria.
The reforms also called for commercial fishing that remained in the main Columbia to be done with live-capture methods — such as purse seines and beach seines — designed to harvest hatchery stocks and release wild fish.
“Oregon is proposing to undo the plan based on a desire to significantly increase commercial gillnet fishing industry profits, rather than ensuring the viability of the commercial fishing industry as defined in the bistate agreement,’’ according to the letter.
A viable commercial fishery is defined as $3.6 million in ex-vessel value annually in the lower Columbia River.
“We urge you to reject this proposal and faithfully implement the primary objectives of the plan,’’ says the letter.
Among the signees from Southwest Washington are state Reps. Liz Pike, Paul Harris, Brandon Vick and Sharon Wylie.
The letter notes that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking a package of fishing and hunting license fee increases in the 2017 session of the Legislature.
The increased fees for Columbia River salmon and steelhead anglers would be almost 70 percent.
“Building public support for this magnitude of a fee increase is already proving challenging and will be made even more difficult if the Columbia River reforms are not implemented as promised,’’ according to the letter.
The Washington commission will address the reforms and make a decision beginning at 10:15 a.m. Jan. 14 at Heathman Lodge, 7801 NE Greenwood Drive.
