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Fisheries need protection, not meddling

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This letter was mailed to Tom McDonald, manager of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation Program, for the comment period on gill-netting. Please take the time and send your views. We are the stewards of our lake quality and fisheries for future generations.

Dear Tom,

It is my understanding that you will forward all letters regarding gill netting to the BPA and I request you submit this letter. I was not aware of this until the article by Janna Taylor came out in the paper, or I would have replied earlier. My passion is fishing, and I am compelled to do something to protect our resource.

You and I have discussed this topic before, and as you are aware, I am against gill-netting. I have lived and fished here for 36 years and will continue to fish Flathead Lake. I fish every month of the year and would venture to say that I spend more time than most on the lake. I am a sports fisherman and devote my time to catching trophy lake trout. I release these fish and have developed a respect for the fact that the large ones are up to 20 or 30 years old. I donate fishing trips to charities and nonprofit organizations and enjoy watching kids and adults catch the biggest fish of their life.

I have seen the rise and fall of our fisheries over the years. I remember the lake trout, bull trout, cut throat and salmon all co-existing together for a wonderful fishery. It was me and a couple of other friends that discovered the salmon schooling outside Pine Glen Resort in Skidoo Bay, during the winter months. Later came the time that the river levels up north were lowered below the spawning beds of the fish now gone and on the verge of extinction. This wiped out the fish, except the lake trout, within two years, and then the shrimp introduction caused problems with salmon re-introduction. The lake trout suffered but rebounded after changing diets, which now makes them a very good table fare.

I have fished in all the Tribal derbies but target my fishing towards catching the big one. The last few years, I have noticed that the derbies are having a negative impact on our sports fishing for large fish. I don’t mean to brag, but I never get skunked. This year, I have fished five long days and have not caught a fish. I fish differently for the big ones, and I know the other anglers are targeting for numbers in the derby. They catch smaller fish in general and jig for them in schools. I have not even seen a large fish on the bottom and have gone to many areas around the lake.

I feel the derbies are impacting the lake trout significantly, and there is no documented evidence that the bull trout will ever come back to the levels we once enjoyed. I do not want to gamble with losing our fishing altogether and possible polluting the lake with algae due to the elimination of the main predator of the shrimp. The risk is far too great to add gill-netting to the equation for inhumane slaughter of all the fish. I believe Mother Nature will take care of what is best for this lake and fisheries without man’s tampering with the intervention of experiments.

Sincerely,
Rick Skates

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