GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The sport fishing industry and conservation groups are trying again to force Oregon commercial salmon fishermen off the main stem of the Columbia River and into side bays and estuaries to cut down on the numbers of protected wild fish killed while harvesting hatchery fish.
Proponents argue that a program known as SAFE, which has acclimated hatchery fish to return to bays and side channels just so they can be harvested by gillnetters, has grown to the point it can support the commercial fleet. Gillnetters no longer need to use the main stem of the river, where they are more likely to catch fish protected by the Endangered Species Act, supporters of the change said.
They add that a fish allocated to the recreational fishery generates three to five times the economic impact as one caught by the commercial fleet, because it generates sales of fishing tackle, gas, food, motel stays, and guided trips.
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