Counties form coalition to lobby fishery issues

Wahkiakum County commissioners voted Tuesday to join a regional coalition for lobbying fishery issues.

The commissioners approved a joint resolution to join the Lower Columbia Fisheries Coalition. Other counties expected to join are Pacific County, Washington, and Clatsop County, Oregon.

Board Chair Dan Cothren said the coalition will be able to lobby state and federal officials to make sure that the needs and desires of the area's residents are heard in fishery administration.

The resolution says the coalition will support a long list of goals. Some of the goals include:

--Equitable distribution of lower Columbia River salmon among commercial, sport and tribal communities who have a legal and moral right to share cultural and economic benefits provided by the salmon fisheries of the river;

--Participation by all partners in the creation of equitable allocation policies for commercial, tribal and sport fisheries;

--Fishery policies based on best available science and that are subject to peer and public review;

--Consumers' rights to purchase locally caught salmon in restaurants and markets, locally and abroad;

--Economic investments that create jobs and support the region's economy;

--The heritage and culture of the people of the lower Columbia River who have fished commercially and recreationally for centuries, and

--Holding those who have polluted the waters and silt of the Columbia accountable and responsible for the legacy of pollution they have caused.

The coalition will meet in October; the exact date hasn't yet been set.