Gill netting bad for business
We learned that Bonneville Power may provide $1 million per year for the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes to pursue the aggressive option of killing 75 percent of the lake trout over 18 inches long by gillnetting.
We believe that this option will quickly destroy the charter fishing businesses and will make it very difficult for the thousands of local people to catch fish. We believe that the studies and especially the modeling done by the tribe contradict what we know from experience.
Also, we have not heard from the Yellow Bay lab on their study to determine the impact on the water quality of Flathead Lake by an increase in mysis shrimp as a result of dramatically reducing lake trout who feed on the mysis shrimp. More shrimp means less zooplankton and increased potential for algae blooms on the lake.
The general population has not been aware of this plan because public hearings were not advertised and the main hearing in Pablo did not allow any public comment. Legislators, county commissioners and other public officials did not receive notices from Bonneville Power as we usually do through the Columbia River Treaty.
The public’s right to know was violated. Fortunately, the Daily Inter Lake wrote an editorial which has triggered phone calls and emails to us. The concluding sentence in that editorial is consistent with our belief: “The benefits have not been justified, compared to the costs and risks that come with this project.”
Charter fishing businesses are presently being adversely impacted by the Mack Fishing Derby.
One charter fishing business indicated that his daily catches in the derby area decreased after the derby by 50 percent, from 10 fish to five.
What a waste of money. Every person who pays an electric bill is paying for this effort to kill lake trout which directly decreases their potential to catch fish. Contrary to statements made about the fish going to food banks, gillnetting has a very significant detrimental impact on the quality of the fish being caught because of the time factor, processing, storage, and health regulations. Very few if any of the thousands of fish killed will make it to the food banks.
Besides having a huge impact on our tourism economy on which we are more dependent because our timber industry crashed several years ago as lawsuits stopped timber harvest, there is the huge cost which comes from everyone hooked up to electricity.
We learned recently that Bonneville Power is raising electricity rates again.
Also, bull trout populations are stable in the Flathead. Bringing populations back to historical levels is a misuse of the Endangered Species Act, similar to what has been done with the wolves.
The result will be that the lake trout fishery will be gone and it will be illegal to keep the bull trout we catch. We are very fortunate now to have a lake where we can take our kids and grandkids and catch fish almost every time.
In conclusion, the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes is a sovereign nation with its own constitution. They are not accountable to the state of Montana or to the 300,000 people in western Montana who enjoy the fishing opportunities in Flathead Lake. Gillnetting is a very bad idea. To the general public, lake trout and bull trout look identical.
Nets kill every thing that gets caught. Millions will be spent and our world-class trout fishery will be lost. We respectively request that you do not fund this divisive project which has many legal issues.
By Montana State Sens. Jeff Essmann, John C. Brenden, Jenifer Fielder, Chas Vincent, Verdell Jackson, Jon Sonju, , Dee Brown, Janna Taylor, former senators Joe Balyeat, and Greg Hinkle and Montana State Representatives Mark Blasdel, Jeffrey Welborn, Doug Kary, Jerry Bennett, Steve Lavin, Keith Regier, Carl Glimn, Greg Hertz, Randy Brodehl and Jerry O’Neil, and former Montana State Representative Derek Skees.