• • Recreational Anglers Score Significant Legislative Victories in Olympia
• • Update: Puget Sound Chinook Harvest Management Plan
• • CCA WA Press Release Regarding Derelict Crab Pots
• • 2011 CCA STAR Spring Chinook Derby
• • CCA At Lakewood Kid Fishing Event
• • Twin Harbors Chapters' Recreation Expo Booth

Our CCA legislative action team, in partnership with many other stakeholders, worked hard and won a number of legislative battles during the 135 days of the 2011 legislative sessions. These challenges included:

-- Preventing consolidation of WDFW with other natural resource agencies

-- Maintaining the voter-established authority of the WDFW Commission

-- Derelict fishing gear (ghost net) issues

-- Maintaining the Commission-approved increases in recreational crabbing allocations

-- Funding of Puget Sound derelict crab pot removal

-- Securing funding for several hatchery and fish passage projects

-- Issues regardig the $30 ‘Discover Washington Access Pass’

-- Improving the Puget Sound recreational salmon/bottomfish enhancement program

-- Restructuring of fishing and hunting license fees

Please read the details of these successes in the short but informative CCA Legislative Session Wrap-up by clicking here.

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In April 2010, WDFW and the Puget Sound Treaty Tribes co-authored a draft Puget Sound Chinook Management Plan – Harvest Component and submitted that plan for evaluation, review and determination by NOAA Marine Fisheries pursuant to the requirements of the Endangered Species Act under the 4(d) rule.  This plan was prepared and submitted without any public process and the contents of the plan were in direct contradiction to the WDFW policy on Hatchery and Harvest reform. 

The draft plan made no distinction between hatchery and natural origin salmon spawning naturally within the stream bed, and failed to address the need for selective removal of hatchery origin Chinook in order to move toward recovery of those ESA listed runs, as identified by the Hatchery Scientific Review Group.  In short, the proposed plan failed to conform to both best available science, and to the WDFW Commissions own policy.

CCA formally requested a public process as part of the plan development.  A workshop was held at which time WDFW and NOAA/NMFS reiterated that there would be no public process.  The plan as submitted was proposed to cover a period of 10 years, and later modified to a five year period.

CCA and others met with both NOAA and WDFW and noted the lack of compliance with policy and science.  We asked that the plan be rejected, and resubmitted to conform with both.  That request was rejected.

In May, 2011, NOAA accepted the plan, but reversed it’s position by recognizing the future need to address the aggregation problem.  The current plan, originally scheduled to remain in effect for ten years, will expire in April, 2014.

The important language of the opinion can be found in section 6.4.2 of the evaluation, and supports the assertion of CCA, HSRG and others that spawner origin is a critical factor in the fitness and potential recover of Puget Sound Chinook salmon.  The report goes on to say that selective harvest is an important tool to manage the proportion of hatchery origin spawners overwhelming the wild origin spawners.

This finding, while having little impact on the current three-year plan, sets the stage for a markedly different approach to harvest of Puget Sound Chinook in the next PSCRMP – Hatchery component to be proposed and adopted in 2014.
 

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In early June, CCA WA sent out a Press Release describing CCA support of funding to remove thousands of derelict crab pots in Puget Sound. Newly signed legislation increases the Puget Sound crab endorsement fee, and earmarks $1.00 of each endorsement purchased for derelict pot removal.

An estimated 12,000 crab pots are lost in Puget Sound each year during recreational, tribal, and non-tribal commercial Dungeness crab fisheries.

Some recreational crab endorsement money will also fund increased monitoring, enforcement, and educational efforts.

To read the Press Release, click here.

 

To read what Mark Yuasa, SEATTLE TIMES, wrote as a result of the Press Release, click this link: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource. ... _ver=1.0.0

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The first annual CCA STAR Spring Chinook Derby was a huge success! CCA PNW awarded several thousand dollars in weekly and grand prizes. Thank you to all who participated this year. We had a good turnout and a lot of fish were entered into the tournament! Don’t miss out next year.

Congratulations to our Grand Prize winners: Bruce Oldenburg, Doug Wilson and Bruce Polley!

CCA PNW would like to thank Fisherman's Marine for supporting the derby by offering weigh-in stations at their Delta Park, Oregon City and Tigard locations. We would also like to thank Blaze Outdoor Adventures for their sponsorship of the Mystery Weight $25,000 prize. Unfortunately we did not have a weight match for the mystery weight prize this year. Better luck next time!

If you would like to learn more about the weekly and grand prize winners of this year’s tournament, please visit: Derby Results

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In late May, two CCA members, Ed Fedder and Ken Porter, manned a CCA booth at the Lakewood Parks and Recreation "Kid’s Fishing Event" on American Lake. Ed reports that "a number of folks were interested in our message and encouraged us to "Keep it up."

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CCA Twin Harbors took part in the South Olympic Peninsula Outdoor Recreation Expo held at the Grays Harbor County Fair Ground in Elma on May 21 -22. Over the weekend various club members staffed a booth to promote CCA and to educate the public on CCA’s commitment to saving our salmon and steelhead runs. Informational brochures, decals, memberships forms, and the Tide magazine were handed out. During the two day event the CCA video, Selective Fishing, was featured on a continuous loop. There were various raffles that included gift cards for Sportsman’s Warehouse as well as a kid’s lake fish setup included a rod, reel, tackle box and landing net. In all, the first Expo was a successful event. Chapter members made many contacts throughout the weekend and provided the public an opportunity to learn more about CCA and what we stand for.

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August 5-6, 2011; Olympia
October 7-8, 2011; Olympia

Agenda and Updates here

 

The work of CCA is dependent upon volunteers.  Please volunter to help.  No experience is needed.  To volunteer in any way, a little or a lot, go to our website here.

Thank you!

CCA Washington is interested in hearing from you. Visit our website here to submit comments and questions you may have. Thanks!