Tag Archives: gillnet ban
Gulf fishermen’s livelihoods obliterated with 14 days’ notice
Fishermen in the Gulf of Carpentaria were given two weeks notice that five gillnet-free zones will be implemented in their waters, in an announcement released by Queensland’s Agriculture Minister Mark Furner last Friday afternoon. Gulf of Carpentaria Commercial Fishermen Association spokesperson Shawn McAtamney described the decision as flawed and disappointing, while Traeger MP Robbie Katter said it was an utter slap in the face to fishers who’d had their livelihoods obliterated with 14 days’ notice. In addition to the impacts it will have, Mr. McAtamney said the haste with which it was pushed through was concerning. “It didn’t even go through parliamentary debate,” he said. “The Governor signed off on it, an archaic piece of colonial history.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:37
Kitzhaber re-emerges to back gillnet ban on the Columbia River
Former Gov. John Kitzhaber has re-emerged to champion a divisive plan he implemented to ban gillnets on the Columbia River — even as state fishery managers say the plan is not living up to expectations.,, Commercial fishermen argue gillnet gear is selective and does not unduly impact salmon runs, while sport fishing and conservation groups disagree. So far, neither state has come up with a replacement gear for gillnets, though Washington has continued to experiment with seine nets. >click to read<19:12
Oregon did the right thing in backing off gillnet ban on the main Columbia River. Washington state should too.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is to be commended for recognizing that a 2013 policy dictated by former Gov. John Kitzhaber to kick commercial salmon fishing off the Columbia River has failed. It isn’t just Lower Columbia River residents who think so. Bobby Levy, former commission chair, commented on Facebook, “Oregon Fish and Wildlife commissioners did the fair and right thing! I applaud you!!” Levy led the commission in 2012 and 2013 when the two fish and wildlife commissions of Oregon and Washington state headed down the path to implementing the Kitzhaber scheme. Never fully thought out, gutting a centurylong tradition of supplying local consumers with some of the salmon we support with our taxes and electric rates was largely the product of intense lobbying by one subset of recreational fishing, embodied by the Northwest Sportsfishing Industry Association. A long-successful alliance between different salmon-fishing interests was cast aside, resulting in a loss of important unified advocacy for salmon recovery in the Columbia estuary and basin. Evicting gillnetters from the main stem of the Columbia by the end of 2016 was premised on a number of assumptions, including: Read the rest of the op-ed here 08:29
