2021 spot shrimp

[PaulNBriannaLynn]

Bolt decision requires 50% of the potential catch go to tribes. WDFW has to manage for that. Spot shrimp have become increasingly popular both recreationally and as a wholesale product that can retail over $20 a pound. Tribes have been gearing up to get their piece of the pie (as they should). As salmon numbers have dwindled in recent years and Dungeness have also suffered, shrimp is a way to fill in the gap. I know a number of Puget sound tribes have gone all in with shrimping. That's relatively new.. That may be part of the politics of WDFW, but I don't claim to know much about whats happening over there anymore.

 

[T.R. Bauer]

It's important to remember that well meaning biologists are not the policy makers or at fault. As Tom said, it's politics and money that drive most decisions. It really shouldn't be any surprise to anyone as that is how things work. Many of you have noted how things used it to be, but have forgotten how the increase of the local human population has increased pressure on stocks. It will never be how it used to be unless 5-6 million people move away from Puget Sound. We have the same issues here - it's a constant battle between stake holders fighting for a set quota with commfish normally winning the fight. As far as man made natural habitat restoration? Hahahahaha - that's really a good one....it's far better to not screw it up in the first place

 

[C-Wolfe]

Harvested 5 gallons of tails this weekend.

Where did you go? I tore the boat apart all winter long, been trying to get it back together the last few weeks, should be ready to go out by the end of the weekend. Looking forward to go shrimping next week, I was boatless for the last few years and looking forward to go back to the sound.

 

[smckean (Tosca)]

As Tom said, it's politics and money that drive most decisions.

In the 20 years I did volunteer work with the WDFW, that was not what I observed. Like I say, if it were true, I'm pretty sure many of the bios I knew would have quit. Did politics trump science sometimes? Yes, but not as a rule (if I had to guess it would be maybe 20% of the time). I observed a few bad decisions based purely on politics, but they were rare. Most of that 20% were true political tradeoffs where one group of stakeholders (say, sportsmen) were adamant that thus-and-so happen while another group (say, conservationists) were just as adamant for something else, and the groups were at loggerheads with the WDFW in the middle. The top brass at WDFW (with whom I've met many times) had to find a way to cut the baby in two....usually they did that pretty well, but not always. The normal scenario was a decision based on hard-won scientific data by the biologists (sometimes taking years) who then had to fight with a vocal group from the public who typically presented unscientifically obtained data (such as antidotal), or often just an ideological argument based on such things as American freedom or even religious claims of God's intent that humans had dominion over the earth and all its creatures.

If I had to succinctly summarize most of those fights, I'd say they were a struggle between those who thought the WDFW's job was to conserve wildlife in Washington vs those who thought the WDFW's job was to manage the historical harvesting of wildlife. OTOH, I did note an unfortunate tendency of WDFW top management to make a "safe" decision out of fear that the department might be sued otherwise.

 

[starcrafttom]

smckean (Tosca) we are just going to have to agree to disagree about how delusional are and leave it at that.. So how's boating?

 

[smckean (Tosca)]

Tom, I imagine you and I will need to agree to disagree about many things.... :wink: :lol: :lol:

Boating is non-existent. For many reasons, I suspect that the first time Tosca will float once again will be when I launch her in order to head to Friday Harbor for the CDGT in May.

P.S. But I am preparing for the shrimp weekends. I hope to go all 3 weekends; I just need to figure out my strategy for where and for how long. I think I will head for the south of Lopez on the 2nd weekend to avoid opening day crowds. Luckily, I launch right here on the island so I am unlikely to have ramp problems.

 

[T.R. Bauer]

Harvested 5 gallons of tails this weekend.

Where did you go? I tore the boat apart all winter long, been trying to get it back together the last few weeks, should be ready to go out by the end of the weekend. Looking forward to go shrimping next week, I was boatless for the last few years and looking forward to go back to the sound.

Passage Canal was good to us.