Commission will hear public comments on salmon fisheries

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will invite public comments on the management of Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay salmon fisheries over the past year during a public meeting Feb. 8-10 in Olympia.

The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), will convene in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building at 1111 Washington St. SE in Olympia. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 8 and at 8:30 a.m. the following two days.

An agenda for the meeting is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/.

At the meeting, state fishery managers will provide an overview of last year's salmon fisheries in Grays Harbor, including an assessment of harvest levels and conformance with conservation objectives. They will also seek clarification on the commission's priorities for recreational and commercial salmon-fishing opportunities in Willapa Bay.

Other issues scheduled for discussion and public comment at the meeting include:

A proposal to clarify the limits on keeping salmon for personal use during an open commercial fishery.

Mineral prospecting and the protection of sea life.

A proposal to require LED lights on nets used by vessels in the commercial ocean trawl fishery for pink shrimp.

The commission is also scheduled to take action on a proposal by WDFW to acquire the final phase of a 20,000-acre property in northeast Douglas County to support wildlife habitat and public recreation. Located 7 miles downriver from Grand Coulee Dam, the property provides critical habitat for sharp-tailed grouse, listed by the state as a threatened species.