Game Department doing disservice

To the Editor:

Bait and switch! This is how fisheries management in the State of Washington works. First, you advertise in January that we are expecting the biggest run of fish this year in the Columbia River since 1938. You then open fishing when there are very few fish in the river. On April 1st you sell all the excited fisherman their required new fishing licenses for the year. On April 8th, when the fish are finally in the river, you close all fishing. All the fish go up the river to be gillnetted above the dam, the lower river sport and commercial fisherman get few fish, and the game Department gets all the money. A very good business deal.

The game department’s recent emergency closure, with little advance warning, on the last day of an already short season, was an unwise decision. I found out about the Saturday closure on Friday afternoon. We had bought bait, tackle and food. We had friends and family coming from as far away as Seattle. Two of these people had taken time off from their jobs. This decision affected a lot of people with similar circumstances. Businesses and professional guides had counted on this day of fishing. If the fish runs are in such dire conditions, then they should never have been opened in the first place.

They say that if the run improves, they may reopen the river at a later date. Wouldn't a better decision to have been to leave the river open the one more scheduled day and then maybe reopen it a day or two later in the late season? The game department’s management policies seem to be doing a disservice to the fisheries resource and the citizens that are trying to enjoy it.

Ron Spahman

Longview