Town, county seek help for net pen permits

Local officials are planning to bring in allies in an effort to expedite the location of chinook salmon rearing net pens off Cathlamet.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) had reached agreement with the town last fall to locate the pens off the city dock at the foot of Broadway Street and have them in place November into next May to rear chinook salmon.

However, Mayor George Wehrfritz reported Monday, the project is hung up on permits. Wehrfritz said WDFW is waiting for the US Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies to approve necessary permits. State agencies have already approved the project, he said.

"I'm afraid it will be delayed a year, and that's a shame,"Wehrfritz commented, explaining that the salmon reared in the pens would benefit the commercial fishing industry in a few years, and that industry needs all the help it can get.

Wehrfritz asked the county board of commissioners on Tuesday to use their political connections to encourage agencies to act quickly on the permits.

Commissioners said they are hosting a meeting of lower-river counties next Monday, 1 p.m., and they'd put the issue on the agenda. They intend to contact offices of federal representatives to see what they can do to expedite the process.