Tag Archives: deemed “essential workers”

Letter: Columbia River Non-Tribal Gillnet Fishery Is No Threat to Recovery of ESA-Listed Salmon

Salmon management should be based on the best available science, but the efforts Sen. Wilson praises are not supported by the science. The commercial gillnet fishery harvests within all management guidelines, The non-tribal gillnet fishery in the lower Columbia is an important part of the cultural fabric of Washington state. It is a component of a commercial fishing industry that provides hundreds of year-round jobs in rural Washington and has for 150 years. Commercial fishermen were deemed “essential workers” during the pandemic because they harvest protein to feed residents of the Northwest and of the world and contribute substantially to Washington’s food security and the state economy. >click to read< By Robert Sudar, Longview 19:58