West coast salmon recovery

This ruling is decades overdue, hopefully it is not too late for our Salmon runs.
Not to be pessimistic, but why the Troll fishery? Trolling is the most sustainable commercial fishery. You can at least let them go alive and have a large percentage survive. This compared to gillnets, seining, and trawling bycatch With 100% fatal bycatch rates.
 
After watching this issue for 30 years going to meetings of local salmon fishery groups with grandparents, dad and myself the one thing stays consistent. NO ONE WILL AGREE ON ANYTHING!!!! and no one will give up what they have. That is why salmon continue to go downhill. I have held the belief for years that the main thing causing salmon decline besides fisheries and predators is pollution. Just think of all the micro pollution, oil, non point source pollution around the world that all dumps into the oceans. sure for so long its dillution but there is a flipping point to dillution. The oceans have got to be getting closer and closer. Unfortunately the people that could actually make changes are too busy making money off of it to change it.
 
Not to be pessimistic, but why the Troll fishery? Trolling is the most sustainable commercial fishery. You can at least let them go alive and have a large percentage survive. This compared to gillnets, seining, and trawling bycatch With 100% fatal bycatch rates.
I do agree that troll fisheries are less damaging, but who knows what fish to release? A very high percentage of Salmon in the gulf of Alaska are west coast stocks. A much bigger piece of the pie than Alaskan stocks.
 
Not to be pessimistic, but why the Troll fishery? Trolling is the most sustainable commercial fishery. You can at least let them go alive and have a large percentage survive. This compared to gillnets, seining, and trawling bycatch With 100% fatal bycatch rates.
Because you have to start somewhere.

I don't think anyone is saying those other methods are better just that it's time to start honestly assessing and mitigating impacts.
 
Because you have to start somewhere.

I don't think anyone is saying those other methods are better just that it's time to start honestly assessing and mitigating impacts.
I think you have to follow the money. The trollers are under represented compared to the other commercial fisheries and ADF&G and the Alaska legislature has demonstrated they are highly influenced by outside sources. My prediction is that it will eventually come out that bycatch and illegal fishing are outpacing trolling and recreational fishing. My skeptical nature is that they are picking on trollers to avoid a fight with the bigger and better represented offenders who pay more in taxes and lobbying. If there are not corresponding restrictions on other fisheries with high bycatch then they are going after political low hanging fruit.
 
I do agree that troll fisheries are less damaging, but who knows what fish to release? A very high percentage of Salmon in the gulf of Alaska are west coast stocks. A much bigger piece of the pie than Alaskan stocks.
I think I should have said why “ just “ the trollers. If they are going to reduce the trolling catch by “X” percent they should reduce the Trawling bycatch allowable percentage by the same amount. Otherwise it smells of politics.
 
I think you have to follow the money. The trollers are under represented compared to the other commercial fisheries and ADF&G and the Alaska legislature has demonstrated they are highly influenced by outside sources. My prediction is that it will eventually come out that bycatch and illegal fishing are outpacing trolling and recreational fishing. My skeptical nature is that they are picking on trollers to avoid a fight with the bigger and better represented offenders who pay more in taxes and lobbying. If there are not corresponding restrictions on other fisheries with high bycatch then they are going after political low hanging fruit.
I think I should have said why “ just “ the trollers. If they are going to reduce the trolling catch by “X” percent they should reduce the Trawling bycatch allowable percentage by the same amount. Otherwise it smells of politics.
I don't disagree with any of that. But once you pick off the lowest hanging fruit and you still have a problem, you are forced to go further up the tree, where the bigger fruit is.
 
Getting rid of the fish farms out front of the Fraser would be a good start to fixing that fishery. Those things are a disease ridden death trap to all the young salmon coming out of the Fraser.
 
This ruling is decades overdue, hopefully it is not too late for our Salmon runs.
If you think trolling is the major problem compared to trawling bycatch, then we might needs to compare notes. Trolling bycatch is minimal, and undersized fish and wrong species are released. Trawling bycatch is DOA. Total biomass might be ”acceptable“, but the number of fish that dies is astronomical due to the average size.

Trawling needs to be reined in. Whether it’s reduced allowable catch/bycatch, off-limits marine reserves, or something. But you can’t keep killing juvenile fish en masse and expect adult populations to recover.
 
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