Commission now tasked with mediating gillnet fight
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The future of commercial fishing on the Columbia River is now in the hands of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission after a measure to ban gillnets failed on Election Day.
The commission faces the tough task of mediating a longstanding conflict between commercial and recreational fishing interests by the end of the year. After years of stalemate, Gov. John Kitzhaber has asked the commission to come up with new commercial fishing regulations that phase out the use of gillnets on the Columbia.
Gillnets snag fish by the gills and are the primary method of commercial fishing on the Columbia. Critics contend that they're cruel to fish and slow the restoration of salmon populations because they can't differentiate endangered fish from targeted species. But commercial fishermen say gillnets have been used for centuries and the controversy surrounding them is drummed up by sport anglers who want to eliminate competition for salmon.
After unsuccessful attempts to persuade the Legislature to ban gillnets, sport-fishing and environmental groups went directly to the people with a ballot initiative that spooked commercial fishermen who feared being put out of business. They spent nearly $700,000 but ultimately abandoned the effort after Kitzhaber announced his bid for a compromise.
The governor proposed phasing in a ban on gillnets on the main stem of the Columbia while allowing them to continue operating on side channels and beefing up the hatchery operations in those areas.
With only opponents actively campaigning, Measure 80 went down last week, 66 percent to 34 percent.
Commercial fishermen have taken a skeptical view of the governor's proposal, saying there's not enough space or fish in side channels to accommodate the demand.
"We've already given everything that we can give," said Bill Hunsinger, a lifelong commercial fishermen. "If we give away the main stem, there's no way the industry can exist. It just can't."
The Fish and Wildlife Commission has fielded dozens of spirited comments from people on both sides of the issue.
Washington is experimenting with seine nets, an alternative that's currently illegal in Oregon. Officials say it will be several years before they know whether seines result in a lower mortality rate for endangered fish. Commercial fishermen question whether seines would be commercially viable on the Columbia.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
One million votes in favor of gill nets on the Columbia Saving Jobs, Saving Salmon for the people of Oregon (not just
greedy Sports who want all the fish in the Columbia}. Gov and his Sports friends and Sports Commision Friends
have overstepped their grounds.  Voters have made their choice and it is in favor of the Comercial Fishermen.
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Our fishing families have heavy hearts as we try to celebrate Christmas with the Sword hanging over our heads. We are all sick at heart and unless you have been faced with losing your job in such a untoward manner you cannot appreciate the damage done to our families. Â
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Amazing to think that one man can cause such problems! The only way we will win is to keep our historical fishing grounds on the Columbia. Travelling from our usual fishing grounds to a small overcroweded area with not enough water to float our boats or to sustain the proposed increase in smolts blows away our minds. We are a Selective Fishery and the lies presented about damage done by gill nets are not true. We have been a sustainable fishery for over 150 years and our State Capital with the picture above recognizes the importance of such a fishery to the State of OregonÂ
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Common Sense can see that this proposal is not an option!  Knowledgable Biologists agree with the commercial fishermen. Help us Save Salmon for All! . Write your state representatives and let us stop this Attack on our fishing industry.
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So if oregon bans gilnetting is Oregon going to foot the bilkl to split the Columbia in half or is Oregon going to illegally ticket or arrest fisherman on the Wa side?? Kitz clubber and his cronies are idiots.
So the voters spoke and didn't ban gillnets. But, now Kitzy has asked the OFWC to find a way to phase it out. WTH? Why did we even vote on it?
 @Sara the anti gillnet groups started it up and the governor came in later and said he would fix it. So the anti gillnet people gave up the ballot and sided with the governor. Basically, some back room money exchanged hands after we got the ballot on.
Hopefully Kitzhaber will keep his word since the sport anglers backed off their campaign. I'm tired of the commercial fishermen harrassing the sport anglers out there. Won't be long before someone is killed by their wrecklessness.
@HuskyKMA Don't take this question the worng way because I'm not entirely up on the subject matter. Can you explain the harrasment that sport anglers get from commercial fisherman? It just doesn't seem plossible to me that a guy out there taking 4-5 fish a day would be harrased by someone taking hundreds. So what is actually going on?
 @mike  @HuskyKMA My dad and I fish 5-8 days each year for fall chinook. In the past two years, we've had three encounters with commercials.
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The first, we were anchored near Willow Grove east of Longview with about a half dozen other boat, when two commercials came in. One pulled up onto the bank, and a guy got out with a chainsaw and started cutting up and freeing logs 30-50 feet long. The other boat then used a rope to drag them off the beach and released them upriver of our anchored boats. A log is very dangerous to an anchored fishing boat and can easily drag a boat under or capsize it if it becomes tangled in the anchor rope. They did this until all of us sport fisherman had to pull our anchors and leave, then they began drifting their nets down through where we were fishing. Turns out they would do anything, even risk our lives, to get their fish. We called the Coast Guard, Cowlitz County Sheriff , and Longview PD, but none seemed to care enough to respond, all said it wasn't their jurisdiction.
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The other two times, both this year, we were anchored out of the channel near the Port of Longview in long lines with other sport fishermen called hoglines, where we are anchored in rows about across a section of the river with about 20 feet between boats. It's the most effective way to have a lot of sport fishermen safely in one area. On two occasions we had commercial fishing boats come through at high speed between the hogline boats. One guy's anchor line got tangled in the commercial boat's prop and was cut off. Another small boat with a father and his young son took water over the side from the waves they caused. The whole time they are going through they are cussing at us and giving us the bird, so it's not like they were just passing by, they were trying to cause trouble.
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I have yet to see a sport fisherman doing anything to a commercial when out on the river, not saying it maybe doesn't happen but I haven't seen it. But on these three occasions in two years see the commercials risk the lives of recreational sport anglers. Again, that's just with my limited few days a year that I fish out there, who knows what else they do that I haven't seen.
I'm not glad that it failed. Â There are alternatives to gillnetting. Â I think with more education of the voter, a ban on gillnettng will pass.
 @MFMFIM When both Oregon AND Washington have the ballot on the measure at the same time, I'll consider voting for it. Until that time, I refuse to hurt Oregon fishermen.
Yes that seems to be the issue people tend to forget. A ban in Oregon would only accomplish the fishing industry incorparating in Washington instead of Oregon. Tax money would go to Washington instead of Oregon. When its just a hop skip and jump across the river it would seem like an unwise law to pass.
Score one for Oregon gillnertters. I'm glad it failed.