I would say the meeting was a great success. I don't know what the official headcount was, but it was probably pushing a hundred. So what will the CCA Tri-Cities be all about? It can be summed up in a few words: unity, focus, and political action--no different really than other CCA chapters accross the region and nation for that matter. Let's look at each one of those concepts:

Unity--The incredibly diverse nature of the sportfishing interest group has made unity nearly impossible in the past, and this is absolutely crippling when it comes to representation of sportfishing interests. By utilizing the local chapter structure, CCA can tap into the unity provided naturally by community and unite the chapters across a region into a single governing body.

Focus--there is a long, long list of issues facing our fish runs; tackling them all spreads resources thin and divides the constituency. CCA national/regional has chosen to focus on commercial harvest as the number one problem and more specifically, they have chosen to target non-selective commercial gill nets on the lower Columbia as the first battle. This single-minded focus builds naturally upon the unity concept.

Political action--in today's world, crisis and contraversy are dealt with politically. There is simply no way around that. This is especially so with respect to resource allocation, and our regional anadromous fish are a resource that are complicated by life cycle stages in the ocean and in three states, and world-wide market and media attention. CCA has the resources and experience and perhaps most importantly, a demonstrated track record to show that they can win for sportfishing interests in our region.

Let me get back to our meeting last Thursday--I was hoping to see a organization that would address issues unique to us in the Tri-Cities but it became apparant rather quickly that was not going to happen anytime soon. But--I was NOT disappointed. Of course the non-selective commercial gillnetting on the lower Columbia has local impact because it affects our fishing here in the Tri-Cities. Is it the biggest problem facing our fish? Is it the problem that should be the single uniting issue? Honesty, who cares? The real questions should be--do I care about the fish? Do I agree that the chosen top issue of the CCA is an important issue? If the answers to those questions are "yes" than why not pledge modest monetary support in the way of membership dues. Why not meet with like minded sportfishers from the Tri-Cities area once a month and talk fishing? Why not help plan an annual fundraiser that will feed directly into removing non-selective commercial gill nets from the Columbia river? Why not do what you can to help ensure there is a resource available for the next generation? It's a no-brainer. The lower Columbia gillnet issue is not my greatest concern for anadromous fish, but honestly--what the heck do I know? It's a big issue, and it happens to be what CCA has proven themselves to be very good at over the years. The fish need a break, and sportfishers need check in the "win" column.

If you're interested in Joining CCA or in obtaining more information, you can contact me. I will also post details regarding interim CCA Tri-Cities officers with their contact information. We have some great folks behind this; if we get behind them great things will happen for the fish.