Selective Gear Editorial & SFA Response
June 29th, 2010
On Wednesday, June 23, 2010, an editorial appeared in the Chinook Observer of Long Beach, Washington, discussing the ramifications and possibilities of experimental test-fisheries with alternative commercial fishing gears being conducted by the Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish & Wildlife. The concept is to test their potential for use in mark-selective commercial fisheries in the lower Columbia River by the non-Indian commercial salmon fleet. Written by Matt Winters, editor/publisher of the Observer, the editorial also was published in the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon two days before.
Following the publication of the editorials, Jim Wells, president of Salmon For All, and Hobe Kytr, SFA administrator, discussed responding to the editorial(s). Each concurred that a measured response from Salmon For All would be desirable. The editorial was thoughtful and well-written, but from our perspective, several important issues concerning selective fishery development were not mentioned that need to be part of the discussion.
Salmon For All’s response to the editorial was published Wednesday, June 30, 2010, and is available in the online version of the Observer at: www.chinookobserver.com.
The original editorial and the subsequent response by Salmon For All as printed in the Chinook Observer are appended below as PDF files:
Diverse fishing methods coming back
Changing fishing gear raises tangled web of issues
