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Avoid Harvesting Wild Fish by Lyle Cabe The Columbian, July 5, 2010

In a June 20 guest opinion column, "Columbia River fishery debate rages on," Hobe Kytr's arguments supporting gill nets and non-selective commercial salmon fishing in the Columbia River falls short of the mark. Historical mark rates are of little use in setting current fisheries, which are based on current mark rates. The vast majority of hatchery fish are fin clipped, giving reasonable assurance that an unclipped fish was reared in the wild.

Two new summer Chinook hatcheries will soon be coming on line in the upper Columbia, providing still more opportunity for mark-selective fishing gear. Kytr should look to the future and work to reform his industry to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. His assertion that conservation measures should apply only to protected Endangered Species Act-listed salmon is ludicrous. The goal should be to avoid harvesting wild stocks and avoid further listings.