Parlette bill to protect recreational fishing opportunities passes Legislature

April 26, 2009

OLYMPIA…Late last evening the state Senate passed the final version of Senate Bill 5421, a measure aimed at maintaining and/or enhancing selective salmon and steelhead fisheries on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The House of Representatives passed the bill just hours later, sending the bill to the governor for consideration to sign into law.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, would create the Columbia River Recreational Salmon and Steelhead Pilot Stamp Program. Under the bill, anglers over age 15 wishing to fish in the area would purchase a $7.50 stamp. Revenues would go into a dedicated account used to maintain selective fisheries on the Columbia River. These are fisheries that target harvestable hatchery fish while avoiding Endangered Species Act-listed wild stocks that could easily be overfished if they were not protected from harvest. Selective fisheries require more monitoring, evaluation and enforcement efforts than non-selective fisheries to ensure they are meeting specific conservation standards. If they fail to meet their conservation standards, the resulting overharvest jeopardizes or negates salmon recovery efforts. Most selective fisheries require that anglers keep only marked hatchery-origin fish and release unmarked fish with as much care as possible so they can survive to spawn successfully.

Due to the implementation and some early successes of salmon and steelhead recovery efforts, unplanned or budgeted sport fisheries have become possible on the Columbia River, Snake River and tributaries, and more are possible in the near future. However, budget constraints at the Department of Fish and Wildlife have strongly reduced existing and new opportunities for selective fisheries.

“Budget cuts at the Department of Fish and Wildlife have led to a situation where anglers can no longer depend on adequate state funding for recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries in the area,” said Parlette. “When local fishing enthusiasts were surveyed they said they would be willing to pay into a fund used to maintain selective fisheries on the Columbia River.”

Parlette’s bill also creates a Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Recreational Anglers Board with representation from the different geographical areas of the Columbia River. The board must recommend distribution of the stamp-generated funds to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.  

“Recreational fishing is a big tourism draw for North Central Washington and an important source of recreation for those of us who live here,” said Parlette. “Sport-fishing generates an annual economic benefit of more than one billion dollars for Washington’s economy.”

Parlette submitted the bill at the request of citizens in her district.