Targeted Atlantic Salmon removal

I have read your paper for several years now and have read a lot of rhetoric spew from Brian Cladoosby’s lips. His latest article regarding the release of Atlantic salmon into Puget sound waters only shows his arrogance and distain for sport anglers. He stated that “sport anglers may have looked like a good idea at first but the number of sport fishing boats are preventing the tribes from deploying more nets”.

Let’s look at that logic, gill nets are indiscriminate; they capture ALL species of fish, Chinook, Coho etc.

In an already stressed return of salmon this year, what ratio of Chinook and Coho are taken to capture the Atlantic salmon 10 to 1, 20 to 1? Blanketing Puget Sound waters with nets would only further harm Chinook returns for future years.

The tribes are rubbing their hands together, using this incident as an excuse to net more Chinook and Coho.

The only way to TARGET ONLY the Atlantic salmon IS by sport fishing.

There should be a bounty put on them $5.00 , $10.00, or more, like what was done for the Pike Minnow in the Columbia river.

This bounty would be paid by the company that caused the release.

Farm raised salmon have been in grocery stores for decades. They are absolutely safe for human consumption if done correctly. This falls directly on the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology to ensure the regulations are strictly followed. They are a viable option versus commercial fisheries that rape Puget sound waters of our natural resources. Mr. Cladoosby time to step off of your soap box.

Jim Dobbs