I’ve been reading a lot in recent weeks about the gloom and doom of the 2008 west coast salmon fishing seasons. While I have some level of empathy for our brothers and sisters south of Washington State, who, in many cases are shutdown this year due to the failure of California and Oregon coastal chinook and coho salmon wild stocks, we continue to have moderate salmon fishing options available in the ocean, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.

If you are a frequent reader of this column, you are familiar with my preaching about the benefits of “selective fishing,” simply defined as targeting fin-clipped hatchery chinook and coho salmon while releasing unmarked (wild) fish. In many applications, especially with the ongoing struggles of wild chinook, and to a lesser degree, wild coho salmon, fishing selectively is the answer. And, from a science perspective, whacking hatchery chinook and coho salmon is a good thing in that it diminishes the presence of hatchery produced salmon on the spawning grounds with wild salmon stocks. Imagine, wild salmon making babies with hatchery salmon. Sounds like the edge of doom. Give me a break! Freeways will crumble, the Space Needle will fall and the earth will begin rotating backwards.

Further, if Oregon and California had been mass marking their hatchery fish several years ago, they would be fishing too. But, unfortunately for the west coast fisheries to the south, the wisdom and vision of selective fisheries has not been embraced, largely due to the lack of scientific and political support.

To the contrary, we have a senior congressman who loves his salmon. May I introduce you to the third senator from Washington State, Congressman Norm Dicks. If you have the opportunity, ask Congressman Dicks about selective fishing. Standby for an avalanche of forceful argument as to why all fisheries should be converting to selective fishing standards: harvest hatchery fish; release wild fish. Works for me.

In part, we will be salmon fishing this summer thanks to Norm’s leadership. It has not been easy. Towing the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is challenging. Gaining tribal support for selective fisheries is closer to relocating Mt. Rainier to Virginia Beach. The treaty tribes have been successful in retarding the movement forward with selective fisheries for two reasons. First, following the execution of this summer’s chinook salmon fisheries, the tribes will take over 70% of the harvest. Even though the federal court guarantees them up to 50%, by supporting selective fishing for sport fishing seasons, their catch would decline. Remember, a salmon represents a dollar and the tribes like their dollars.

Early this past month, the Washington salmon seasons were set with very little flare and fanfare. Although the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that the negotiations were similar to a book club’s discussion about the bible, the negotiations were hot. We in the recreational fishing caucus, were looking for an expansion of selective fishing. The tribes continued their blocking tactics, beating the Department of Fish and Wildlife to chopped liver and the results were discouraging.

 “Tony,” Congressman Dicks said, “We need to continue to push. I am not giving up and this is a long process!” He is right. We were outgunned, outmanned, outmaneuvered, outspent and deposited in the outhouse. Regardless, if you believe as I do that selective fishing is the future of salmon fishing in Washington State, then keeping the heat on the tribes and the state is critically important. Enough about politics.

As you read this column, sport salmon fishing is closed in most of Washington’s marine waters until the ocean opens to chinook salmon fishing on June 1. I’m not waiting. Just across the border adjacent to our San Juan Islands, across Haro Strait, Canadian waters are open. And, coincidentally, the annual Sydney Salmon Derby is next weekend.

I, like thousands of Washington salmon anglers, turn to fishing opportunities in Canada and Alaska when our seasons are buttoned down. Canada, in particular, does a sweet job recognizing the economic contributions of anglers coming to their country, seeking quality salmon fishing experiences. They have prioritized their salmon allocations toward sport fishing, citing the value of U.S. dollars injected into their economy. What a radical concept, eh?

Meanwhile, just across the border within 10 miles of Sydney, B.C., sport salmon fishing is closed, despite a very high hatchery salmon (fin-clipped) mark rate. Our government suggests the value of Washington’s sport fishing industry is about $850 million. Pocket change for Bill Gates but nothing to sneeze at. We need more sport salmon fishing opportunity. We need more selective fishing opportunities on hatchery produced salmon. We need leadership. I need an Advil.

As I look ahead to my fishing calendar for the month of May, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that most of our waters are closed (with the exception of the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam). The good news is that Canada and SE Alaska are rocking with good chinook salmon fishing in May. I like May. I like Oh Canada and I’ve always liked Alaska.

Keep the faith, baby, and let’s not give up. Selective fishing will win and if you have a chance to encourage Norm to keep the heat on, do it. I, like many others know and believe, he will deliver us through the universe of resistance and into the 21st century of sport salmon fishing in Washington. I believe!