The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Wahkiakum County commissioners will lobby this winter for better representation of the commercial industry among high level state officials.

Gillnetter Kent Martin of Skamokawa presented Tuesday an economic analysis of the industry's value to the county and suggested how it would fade under current fishery management practices, which, he said, increasingly put recreational fishers' interests over those of commercial fishers.

"It's an attempt to castrate the economy of the county and turn it into a service industry," he said, adding that coastal communities have had no benefit from salmon management policies.

The recreational fishery had a record year at the Bouy 10 fishery, he said, catching around 8,000 fish.

"To do that, 850,000 fish had to pass by," he said. "That's a wasteful subsidy for the recreational fishery."

According to figures obtained from the county's three main fish buyers, the value of the commercial catch in the last two quarters of the year was $895,947, he said. The processed value of that catch was $1.8 million.

Gillnetters also bring income in from other areas, especially Alaska fisheries, Martin said, and that money is going to decline. He listed five local fishers holding Alaska permits who have retired or left the industry because of the reductions in fishing opportunity. All have sold their Alaska permits to people living out of the area.

"Hundreds of thousands of dollars are not coming into this community because the fishery hasn't kept going here," he said.

"What I am suggesting here is that you contact the governor and state legislators with these dollar values in mind and let them know you value the economic contribution the commercial fishery makes to our county," he said.

"I have no bone to pick with sport fishing and tourism, only with those who think there need not be anything else. However, salmon recovery activities cast an enormous shadow over our county in the form of land use regulations, forest practices, habitat set asides and water access. We should gain more from salmon recovery than the privilege of selling a hamburger and coffee to visiting recreational fishers."

Commissioners agreed with Martin and welcomed his analysis. They said they would write soon to the governor and bring the issue up with legislators.

"I couldn't agree with you more," said commission Chair Dan Cothren. "Fish and game (the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) is just a joke . . . I've said it all the time: We're getting the short end of the stick. It's because of the greed of the I-5 corridor."

Commissioner Blair Brady agreed, too, and suggested looking for a local economic development economic study that also quantified the commercial fishing industry value to the county.

"I'd like to say thank you to you, Kent, for all the years of service to the fishing industry and to us," said Commissioner Mike Backman.

Backman commented that while there might be large runs in the Columbia basin, many are protected and there's a lack of "harvestable fish."

Brady said he would put together a white paper to present to the governorn and state officials stating the county's concerns.