Gill Netting For Salmon

You must have some enormous runs to be able to maintain 100% spawning
escapement after using nets to capture fish! Where I live the commercial
fishery was eliminated in 1990 because gill nets practically destroyed our
Atlantic salmon. Fishermen were setting their nets near the mouth of the
rivers and intercepting too many fish. Returns became to low a moratorium
on netting was declared. I'd hate to think how bad it would be if they
netted IN the rivers.

16 years later our rivers are showing recovery. My point being that netting
is a very efficient way to take fish in a river and unless carefully
regulated will be the source of severe stock decline.

I do have a couple of questions...

1) Do you know the stock size entering your river.
2) Do you know the spawning capacity of the river.

Without knowing at least those two factors it doesn't make sense to net the
river. I maintain that a river can't be harvested unless it is known how
many fish are there to manage and maintain the species.

If you do know stock size and how much spawning escapement is needed to
maintain 100% levels, then I can see removal of some salmon as an option
because you aren't depleting the stock.

Will the fish you plan to harvest be used for personal consumption? If so,
how many do you need. Perhaps an in-river trap, where you could control the
removal is an option??

Keith Piercey
Newfoundland
Canada

fishy1 wrote:
I bought a fair bit (300 yardsX5feet) of 5" gill net. Can I catch
salmon with this on a fairly big river with salmon running up it? I
was thinking of stringing 100lb mono through the top of the net, and
tying the mono to each bank. I have made about 40 leads, each about
4oz. Will this arrangement work? I'm thinking of leaving it out for a
day, will it be packed full of salmon? Would my arrangement and net
size hold all the salmon? The salmon which run up the river go up to
about 30lb normally. Would that size of salmn be capable of ripping
the net apart? The line in the net is 0.7mm, that's about 15lb
strenght. Also, when I empty the net, will most of the salmon be dead?

Thanks, I've googled this alot, but I could not find much of any use.

By the way, gill netting is legal where I am, but no-one does it
anymore.

If no one is doing it anymore then that should be an indication to you
gill netting is not an OK activity.

I live in southwest Washington and we are blessed with a river near me
(the Willapa) to have 3 of the finest species of salmon available plus
steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout. The only gill neeting done is
out in Willapa Bay and that activity has been greatly curtailed by
commercial fisherman. Most commercial fisherman I know actualy prefer
troll catching salmon in the open ocean.

I have always belived and I have tried to instill in my own children
that conservation is best practiced by the sportsmen. If your a
commercial fisherman and want to catch a bevy of fish knock yourself
out. But remember that bevy of fish you catch today may mean no fish
tomorrow. If your a sport angler stick to your rod and reel so that
your children and grandchildren can enjoy the sport of fishing and the
resource in years to come. Never retain and kill more then what you
need.