SEEMS I STIRRED up a hornet’s nest.
Thursday’s outdoors column opened by discussing the trouble recreational salmon anglers encountered when they came in contact with commercial crab pots left to soak near Ediz Hook.
Trolling “lanes” were mentioned, and apparently some readers got the impression that the Hook and nearby fishing holes are solely reserved for recreational anglers, and the presence of these commercial crabbers had wronged those seeking chinook.
That was not my intention. I wanted to let readers know that the Hook was the best salmon spot along the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the first week of the season, that some anglers snagged up on commercial crab pots in that area and to be watchful in future trips.
“Nobody has designated that area as a trolling area for sporties, nobody has designated it for commercials,” crabber Rachel Hagaman said.
“I’m out thousands of dollars, here.”
It turns out that some bad-apple recreational fishermen overreacted to the presence of the pots by cutting buoy lines and sending those pots down to the bottom.
Not only is that a crime, a second-degree misdemeanor according to RCW 77.15.180 which deals with unlawful interference with fishing or hunting gear, the loss of those pots is a direct hit to the bottom lines of the crabbers.
Hagaman’s husband Dennis Hagaman explained that the crab season opened June 15 and those pots had been set last month.
“I lost 4,000 worth of crab gear plus the ability to fish those pots,” Hagaman said.
“That’s probably around a $20,000 loss. This happened to at least three other boats, all who are trying to put food on the table, pay their mortgages, pay for insurance.
“This is our livelihood. We’re trying to make a living out here.”
Hagaman was livid with the situation.
“This is petty and small, and I’d love to see [state Department of] Fish and Wildlife catch those guys.
“I hope they go to jail and they miss a few mortgage payments and lose their house.”
It appears the area the pots were set has become a prime feeding ground for crustaceans.
“When the Elwha dams came out it’s been sending a lot of silt east to the Hook,” Hagaman said.
This makes complete sense.
Ediz Hook, despite the rip rap, roadway and Coast Guard Base now covering much of it, is a sand spit.
It was formed by wind and tides pushing sediment from the Elwha Delta to the east.
“It’s forming a productive crabbing ground,” Hagaman said.
“The last couple of years its been getting really good.
“These guys don’t realize that there are 300, 400 pots down there.”
The column also mentioned that it seemed there were less pots out Wednesday than during the first few days of the chinook opener.
“They weren’t cleared, they were cut,” Hagaman said.
“There’s a difference there. The buoys are gone but the pots are still there.”
And that creates another issue: those pots are still there. Cutting the buoy lines isn’t like waving a magic wand and making them disappear. They will create headaches for salmon and halibut anglers for years to come.
“This is not doing anybody any favors,” Hagaman said.
“Those pots are going to ghost fish for the next 20 years and the recreational guys are going to keep snagging up on them.
“No divers going to be going down and recovering them.”
Sgt. Kit Rosenberger, who oversees the North Olympic Peninsula for Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement division out of Port Townsend, had heard about the incidents but didn’t know of the alleged severity.
“I have not spoken to those who made the reports,” Rosenberger said.
“I was unaware that there was that much damage.
“We do patrol the waters out there. I can see that’s an area where people are trolling for salmon and setting commercial pots.
“But there’s no way that if this occurred as alleged that it is in any way an acceptable way to act.
“It’s a criminal act, one that a judge will often assign jail time for, and can impose a $5,000 fine.”
Rosenberger who spent time policing the waters of the San Juan Islands before being transferred to the North Olympic Peninsula in January, has seen similar problems in the past.
“This comes up a lot at Eagle Point at the south end of San Juan Island,” Rosenberger said.
“Tribal seiners come in to that area, which is a prime spot for salmon. It can create problems between the two groups.”
I fished Eagle Point last August and saw tribal boats and recreational anglers keeping a respectable distance.
And that might be the best way out of this mess, especially considering the improved crab harvests off Ediz Hook.
You drop pots where the crab are or have been.
You set your downrigger at a spot where you see fish, or have seen fish in the past.
Sometimes those areas will overlap. And how both groups react will tell the tale.
“My advice to recreational fishermen and to commercial boats is to stay out of each others way,” Rosenberger said.
“Try to have some understanding, and be good neighbors.”
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
