• • Recent CCA Legislative Action Alerts
• • Spread CCA's message!
• • Record High Sport Catch, Puget Sound Dungeness Crab
• • CCA Members Help Restore Lewis River Chum Channel
• • CCA Active At The Northwest Sportsmans Show
• • Mack's Lure Donating New CCA Memberships, Or Cash
• • Fundraising: 2012 Washington Artist Of The Year

Special thanks go to all members and non-members who responded to the two recent Action Alerts regarding Senate Bill 5661.  And to the Senators and Representatives who pushed to move this bill along.

As you may know, CCA has been working since the 2011 legislative session to pass SB 5661, which requires mandatory reporting of lost or abandoned commercial fishing gear (primarily gillnets). Current state law merely “encourages” reporting of these “ghost nets” and the system clearly hasn’t worked with just a handful of nets voluntarily reported since 2002. During the same period approximately 300 new nets were lost in Puget Sound. Annually this deadly gear kills tens of thousands of fish (including endangered salmon and rockfish), birds and other wildlife and harms important underwater habitat.

The use of CCA’s Action Alerts is a very simple way for members and non-members alike to directly engage in the political process by informing lawmakers about concerns pertaining to legislative issues.

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Forwarding the CCA Connect eNewsletter is a good way to increase interest in CCA. In addition to forwarding important Voter Voice Action Alerts, you can also forward this eNewsletter!

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In a recent WDFW presentation to the Commission,  WDFW Puget Sound Shellfish Manager Rich Childers reviewed the 2011 Puget Sound Dungeness crab season.  This is the first year following the policy change directing the department to prioritize Puget Sound Dungeness crab harvest to the recreational sector.  This report revealed two significant facts:  1) 2011 recreational Puget Sound Dungeness crab harvest was a record high; 2) Recreational compliance (which was a major source of angst in achieving the new policy) has improved significantly.  CCA had a major role in the recreational crab education program and was recognized in Mr. Childers report.  Despite the reports of “doom and gloom” from Puget Sound commercial crabbers claiming this new policy would bankrupt their industry, the commercial sector actually harvested more crabs in 2011 than in 2010!  Even with the new recreational priority commercial harvest of Puget Sound Dungeness crab exceeded the recreational harvest.

CCA’s Dave Knutzen attributes these high harvest numbers to an overall increase in the abundance of Puget Sound Dungeness crab.

One of Mr. Childers’ powerpoint slides shows 1991-2011 harvest data.



Another of his slides shows his forecast for 2012 Puget Sound harvests.



CCA is still hard at work to improve Puget Sound Dungeness crabbing by promoting legislation to require reporting of derelict gear, continuing our efforts to education recreational crabbers regarding compliance and assisting in the implementation of derelict gear removal ($1 of the rec. crab license now goes to derelict gear removal).

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In September of 2011, CCA members in the SW Washington area spent several grueling hours restoring a chum channel on the east fork of the Lewis River. They teamed up with volunteers from Fish First and the Clark County Juvenile Rehabilitation Crew to tackle this labor intensive project.

Over 900 trees were donated and planted along the channel to help fortify the river bank. Members helped put into place a fish control-monitoring weir, and also installed diversion pipes around beaver dams to help the fish and beavers survive together. In early March, 100,000 chum eggs will be placed in the East Fork Channel, and another 10,000 eggs will be put upstream in a fish rescue facility near Mill Creek by Daybreak Bridge. A special thank you to Gene Ladisaw, Ray Chipman, Ron Borchers, Joe Koch, and Steve Koch who came through big time, and to the rest of the members that put in the time, blood, sweat, and tears to make this project a reality.

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At the Northwest Sportsmans Show in Puyallup, CCA volunteers signed up many new members, and handed out hundreds of pieces of literature.  Guides and resort owners were given CCA applications, stickers, and pens.  In the CCA booth a continuous-loop DVD was run, showing seven videos of gillnetting and salmon conservation.

Some other vendors placed CCA signs in their booths, like the one in the photo below.

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Now, Mack’s Lure is making it possible for someone to become a new CCA member at no cost when purchasing $100 or more in products at  www.mackslure.com.  Simply enter the code CCAnew and Mack’s will pay the $25 membership to CCA.  The new member will start receiving CCA’s award winning National magazine TIDE, state level communications, and Action Alerts for important legislatives concerns. 

If you are already a member, are purchasing less than $100, or just want to support CCA in another way, you can enter code CCA15 and Mack’s will donate 15% of your order to CCA!  Thank you and thanks to Mack’s Lure for helping grow our fish populations and improving recreational angling by supporting CCA!

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CCA Washington is pleased to announce Dauna Dean as our first annual Artist of the Year. Local Pacific Northwest artist, Dauna Dean, has been commissioned to create a landscape piece for this year’s banquets. The original piece, which is nearing completion, will be done with acrylic on canvas. Only a limited number of prints will be produced and will be available at each of our 2012 banquets. The original will be made available for sale as well. This photo, taken by CCA member Doug Wilson, is being used to create the 2012 piece.

Last year Ms. Dean painted the popular “Red Cheeks” piece that was a big hit with our members. We still have a limited number of these unframed prints available. Call the CCA state office at 877-255-8772 if you would like additional details.

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March 9-10, 2012; Moses Lake
April 13-14, 2012; Olympia
June 1-2, 2012; Olympia

Agenda and Updates here

 

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

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!