Warning: Graphic image of a sea lion bite inside www.pacificfishing.com THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR FISHERMEN n MARCH 2019 Her beautiful life US $2.95/CAN. $3.95 • Halibut catch limits 03 63126 • Gillnets under siege Only pay for the speed you need... Dynamic Routing! SM Lynden’s new mobile app is now available! lynden.com/mobile On time and on budget. At Lynden, we understand that plans change but deadlines don’t. That’s why we proudly offer our exclusive Dynamic Routing system. Designed to work around your unique requirements, Dynamic Routing allows you to choose the mode of transportation – air, sea or land – to control the speed of your deliveries so they arrive just as they are needed. With Lynden you only pay for the speed you need. lynden.com | 1-888-596-3361 IN THIS ISSUE Editor's note Wesley Loy ® Gunning THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR FISHERMEN INSIDE for gillnets Gillnets are a very old form of commercial fishing gear. They’re highly effective for catching salmon and other species. They’re also very good at collecting controversy. Gillnets are banned in some jurisdictions, and stringently regulated elsewhere. Along the Pacific coast, we’ve seen periodic attempts to shut down gillnet- ting. In Alaska a few years ago, activists unsuccessfully pushed a ballot initia- tive to ban commercial setnets in Cook Inlet. In Oregon, voters in 2012 defeated Halibut catch limits • Page 8 a measure to end gillnetting in the Columbia River. Now, we have anti-gillnet bills pending in the Oregon and Washington state legislatures. In Washington, Senate Bill 5617 is stirring vigorous debate. The bill says the use of gillnets for nontribal harvest of salmon “must be phased out.” The bill as originally written outlaws gillnets “in Washington,” but a subse- quent version limits the ban to the Washington waters of the Columbia River. The prime sponsor of SB 5617 is Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline. “Gillnets are a concern because they catch hatchery and wild salmon alike,” thus threat- ening protected salmon runs as well as orcas, he wrote in a Feb. 14 update on Her beautiful life • Page 12 his website. SB 5617 would establish a buyout program to retire nontribal Columbia River salmon gillnet licenses in Washington by Dec. 31, 2020. In an effort to provide alternatives to gillnets, the bill also would establish a “selective gear incentive program.” Let’s be clear. For gillnet fishermen, this isn’t merely about gillnets. It’s about their livelihoods. Quite a few people turned out for a Feb. 12 legislative hearing to argue forcefully against SB 5617. Among them was Jim Wells, with Salmon for All, a nonprofit representing the Columbia River gillnet fleet and processors. Here’s Gruesome sea lion bite • Page 22 his statement to the lawmakers: “The idea of banning gillnets is not new. The reason it has never gained the majority support of the legislators or of the voters is that the idea of banning gillnets is largely based on misinformation. There’s no biological reason for banning the gillnet, which is a commercial fishing gear that has proven highly adaptable, easily managed, and economically viable. The gillnet fishery has a solid track record of staying within federal, state, and Endangered Species Act guidelines. On selective gear, none of the selective gear types tested so far on the Columbia River have proven more selective than gillnets as harvest tools. The alternative gears have proven they can catch fish, and in some Fish farm plans • Page 23 cases lots of fish. But since the objective has been to harvest hatchery fish only, wild fish species are not targeted for harvest and must be sorted for live release, which requires ON THE COVER: Evelyn Clark, Miss Washington USA 2019 handling. And unfortunately, not all fish handled survive the experience, which results and a Bristol Bay commercial salmon fisherman. Photo in release mortalities. Even if these mortality rates are low, the large volume of fish courtesy of Evelyn Clark which must be sorted results in large numbers of release mortalities, and we say no on Senate Bill 5617. Thank you.” VOLUME XL, NO. 3 • MARCH 2019 Pacific Fishing (ISSN 0195-6515) is published 12 times a year (monthly) by Pacific Fishing Magazine. Editorial, Circulation, and Advertising offices at 14240 Interurban Ave S, Ste. 190, Tukwila, WA 98168, U.S.A. Telephone (206) 324-5644. n Subscriptions: One-year rate for U.S., $18.75, two-year $30.75, three-year $39.75; Canadian subscriptions paid in U.S. funds add $10 per year. Canadian subscriptions paid in Canadian funds add $10 per year. Foreign airmail is $84 per year. n The publisher of Pacific Fishing makes no warranty, express or implied, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the information contained in Pacific Fishing. n Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington. Postmaster: Send address changes to Pacific Fishing, 14240 Interurban Ave S, Ste. 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Copyright © 2019 by Pacific Fishing Magazine. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. POST OFFICE: Please send address changes to Pacific Fishing, 14240 Interurban Ave S, Ste. 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM £ MARCH 2019 £ PACIFICFISHING 3 KEEPING UP PREFERRED PUBLICATION OF: It’s FREE!* It’s the best commercial fishing news digest BRISTOL BAY Fish available in the North Pacific. Here’s some of FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION Wrap what you missed by not reading FishWrap. CORDOVA DISTRICT FISHERMEN UNITED Going into effect: Alaska has released new Sitka herring fight: A commercial herring OREGON DUNGENESS Pacific Salmon Treaty language. – adfg.alaska.gov group is looking to intervene in a tribal lawsuit CRAB COMMISSION Executive shuffle: Silver Bay Seafoods has against the state of Alaska. – kcaw.org UNITED FISHERMEN named Cora Campbell president and CEO. Copper River salmon forecast: The state is OF ALASKA – scribd.com predicting an improved, but still disappointing, WASHINGTON DUNGENESS Into the storm: Oregon crabbers face high seas commercial sockeye harvest of 756,000 fish. CRAB FISHERMEN’S ASSOC. and uncertain prices as they set out – adfg.alaska.gov WASHINGTON REEF NET for the opening of the Dungeness season. Shutdown impacts: Does NMFS have a plan to OWNERS ASSOC. – newportnewstimes.com open Alaska's halibut and sablefish fisheries if WESTERN FISHBOAT Slow going: Through the end of December, the shutdown lasts? – kbbi.org OWNERS ASSOC. Southeast Alaska trollers had caught only Navigating the shutdown: The Bering Sea around 5,500 king salmon. – kfsk.org pollock 'A' season starts amid the federal Dungeness season opens: Oregon and government shutdown. – kucb.org To subscribe: Washington crabbers begin pulling gear and www.pacificfishing.com Shutdown rescue: Fishing trade associations making deliveries. – dailyastorian.com Ph: (206) 324-5644 are being called upon to help U.S. Coast Guard [email protected] Oregon tragedy: Three men die after families in need. – ufafish.org Main Office breakers overcome a crab boat at Newport. Sea lion attack! A fisherman is seriously 14240 INTERURBAN AVE S. SUITE 190 – newportnewstimes.com injured at Sand Point, Alaska. – adn.com TUKWILA, WA 98168 Culling predators: Oregon begins killing PH: (206) 324-5644 Busy season: The U.S. Coast Guard assists 17 sea lions at Willamette Falls to save salmon. fishermen off the Pacific Northwest coast. – oregonlive.com Chairman/CEO/Publisher – content.govdelivery.com MIKE DAIGLE Navigating the shutdown: Alaska Sen. Dan [email protected] Halibut outlook: At its annual meeting, the Sullivan discusses efforts to keep fisheries Associate Publisher International Pacific Halibut Commission open amid the partial government shutdown. CHRISTIE DAIGLE faces a declining resource and disagreement [email protected] – sullivan.senate.gov over how to apportion the catch between the Shutdown impacts: The Pacific Fishery EDITORIAL CONTENT: United States and Canada. – kbbi.org Management Council offers an update on Editor B.C. herring fight: A campaign to close the WESLEY LOY its operations amid the partial government Strait of Georgia roe herring fishery is gaining [email protected] shutdown. – pcouncil.org Ph: (907) 351-1881 support. – timescolonist.com Disrupting the process: The North Pacific West Coast Field Editor Fishery Management Council may not be able Unalaska investigation: A young crewman DANIEL MINTZ to make any official decisions at its February from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Douglas Munro goes missing and ends up dead. PRODUCTION OPERATIONS: meeting due to the partial federal government Art Director, Design & Layout shutdown. – kbbi.org – kucb.org PATRICIA WOODS Chum salmon bounty: The Alaska Board of [email protected] Three lives lost: The U.S. Coast Guard announced a formal marine casualty Fisheries has approved a change meant to SALES & MARKETING: investigation into the deadly capsizing of allow net fishing fleets to take advantage of JOHN NORDAHL the fishing vessel Mary B II off Newport, Ore. unexpectedly strong returns at Crawfish Inlet. Ph: (206) 775-6286 – content.govdelivery.com – kfsk.org [email protected] Ad Support CANDICE EGAN *You can subscribe to Fish Wrap by sending an email to [email protected]. Write your first Ph: (206) 324-5644 name, your last name, and the words “Fish Wrap.” Do it now, before you go another month without Fish Wrap! [email protected] 4 £ PACIFICFISHING £ MARCH 2019 £ WWW.PACIFICFISHING.COM EYES ON THE HORIZON YOUR PASSION: harvesting Alaska’s wild seafood. 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