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

To The Eagle:

I want to encourage the commercial gillnet fleet to embrace to switching of fishing gear from gill net to the beach seine/ purse seine systems. I have successfully fished for subsistence salmon here in Alaska. We have done it from a skiff and we are able to release the fish we do not want to continue up to spawn. We are limited to only so many fish per day and if too many fish are caught in a set the extra fish can be safely released.

I believe that the existing boats can be used with some changes to work the different gear. The operators will be learning a new system, but that will be better than going out of existence.

The article in the paper described taking the seine to the beach. Why can it not be done as a mini purse seine from the refitted gill netters? Fishermen are an inventive lot.

Relearn to release, so you can return to the river!

Rich Trojan

Craig, AK