Sports fishermen take it in the shorts again.
In the middle of the night, without warning, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shut down selective king fishing in Area 6.
When you study how the quota was arrived at, it shows improbable math in reaching the quota.
As of July 25, 4,874 fish encounters had been recorded out of the 6,843 allotted quota.
To reach the quota Aug. 1, 330 fish encounters had to be recorded every day for a week.
The way fish are counted is a mystery and makes no sense.
If half the quota is in encounters why not just reduce the quota to 3,421 actual fish caught.
This eliminates the state’s ability to manipulate the numbers to their satisfaction.
How in the world did the exact number of 6,843 quota be reached without coordination?
Not hard to believe, treaty tribes are netting rivers and we have no way in knowing if anybody has achieved 50 percent of the allowable harvest.
It’s back to cowboys and Indians again.
Sportsmen have every right to represent themselves as they foot the bill for recreational fishing, as they are blindsided at the witching hour.
Fish Northwest is working to stop the over-harvest of wild fish and promotes the use selective methods to harvest hatchery fish at www.fishnorthwest.org.
Robert A. Beausoleil
Port Angeles