CCA Washington Accomplishments

CCA Washington started in April 2007 with a goal of mobilizing conservation minded anglers to advocate for sound, science-based fisheries management. We rapidly added thousands of members and established seventeen local chapters. Our voices are focused and amplified by our experienced Advocacy Director as well as our skilled and respected state lobbyist representing us in Olympia. We also now employ four full-time staff employees at our headquarters in Vancouver.

Together with the seventeen other CCA state chapters throughout the US, we also retain a full-time federal lobbyist in Washington, D.C. We’re all working as a team to build CCA Washington into a powerful force for dynamic change that will help preserve and protect our marine resources for future generations.

Here are examples of how YOUR SUPPORT has contributed to change…

Worked with the Legislature to secure over $100 million in capital budget funding for hatchery upgrades and improvements as well as fish passage projects over the last several years
Spearheaded a plan with CCA Oregon to remove non-treaty gillnets from the mainstem Columbia River and prioritize recreational salmon fishing. In 2017, there were NO non-treaty gillnets on the lower mainstem Columbia River during the Spring and Summer chinook seasons
Coordinated joint letters from 54 Washington legislators supporting conservation benefits of the Columbia River reforms and removing non-selective gillnets from the mainstem Columbia River
Successfully defended the Columbia River Gillnet reforms in Thurston County Superior Court and in the Oregon Court of Appeals
Helping to ensure WDFW is properly funded, while also recognizing the challenges that a drastic fee increase would pose to the recreational angling community
Coordinated a Rally for Fisheries Equality in Lacey where nearly 200 concerned recreational anglers showed up to support conservation and fairness in the management of our Puget Sound fisheries
Introduced and supported passage of a 24-hour mandatory derelict gillnet reporting bill
Worked with other recreational organizations to establish a recreational priority for Puget Sound Spot Shrimp
Worked with WDFW Commission to establish a recreational priority for Puget Sound Dungeness Crab, resulting in much longer recreational crabbing seasons
Blocked a proposed Lake Washington gillnet fishery
Identified and publicized the existence of 62 derelict gillnets in a stretch of the Nooksack River resulting in public awareness, media attention, and eventual removal of the majority of the nets
Defeated multiple attempts by pro gillnet interests to gut the Fish and Wildlife Commission
Advocated for the Willapa Bay Salmon Management policy with a goal of enhancing the conservation of salmon stocks by restricting non-selective gillnet fisheries and improving selective recreational fisheries
Defended the Willapa Bay Salmon Management Policy in Pacific County Superior Court
Filed a motion along with the Twin Harbors Fish & Wildlife Advocacy to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the Willapa Bay Gillnetters Association that was eventually dismissed by the Thurston County Superior Court
Continually reminding fisheries managers and elected officials about the significant conservation and economic benefits of recreational fisheries and urging them to reform management decisions to reflect the growing importance of the recreational fishing community
Advocated for the salmon management policy in Gray’s Harbor that places an increased priority on conservation and provides more certainty to recreational fisheries and reduces non-selective gillnetting
Established a more equitable Baker Lake Sockeye Fishery
Participated on nearly 40 different Boards and Commissions that influence fisheries related issues
Influenced proposed Puget Sound rockfish regulations to maintain recreational access in the coastal portion of Marine Area 4
Successfully influenced legislative and agency discussions regarding the disposition of surplus hatchery salmon which will result in an increase in the annual number of carcasses for nutrient enhancement, a valuable component of wild fish restoration
Led recreational efforts to highlight flaws in the Puget Sound Chinook Management Harvest Plan and called for selective fishing reforms to support wild fish recovery
Advocated to the U.S. Congress supporting the Colville Tribe’s proposal to increase testing of selective harvest methods in the upper Columbia River
Supported the shift to only selective fisheries for summer Chinook in the Lower Columbia River, including an end to the non-selective commercial gillnet fishery
Actively supported the WDFW Commission Hatchery and Harvest Reform Policy
Supported legislation that would help WDFW address derelict crab pots and provided funding for removal to the Northwest Straits Commission
Proposed salmon harvest reform and conservation legislation to foster development of selective, live capture commercial fishing gear for use in Washington waters
Actively participated in a decision that lead to one of the largest increases in mark-selective fisheries in Puget Sound
Supported the Northwest Straits Commission in attaining a $4.5 million federal grant to remove 3000 derelict gill nets from Puget Sound
Advocated for selective harvest reforms and the implementation of conservation-based harvest buffers that helped prevent excessive lower Columbia ESA impacts
Pressured NOAA to recognize the need for expanded selective fishing as a primary tool for restoring threatened and endangered stocks of wild salmon and steelhead in its Mitchell Act decision making process
Ensured the Tokul Creek steelhead hatchery remained open and managed according to best available science
Gained seats on the WDFW Sport Fishing Advisory Board and Columbia River Recreational Advisory Panel
Supported better protection of Killer Whales in Puget Sound while resisting federal imposition of a “No Fishing Zone” along the west side of San Juan Island
Launched a law enforcement rewards program intended to raise awareness regarding the conservation of endangered and wild salmon, steelhead and sturgeon on the Columbia River
Defeated multiple legislative efforts to remove the current Fish & Wildlife Commission in retaliation for its efforts to promote conservation over harvest and to advocate for science-based selective fishing reforms
Supported the construction of the new Cedar River sockeye hatchery, which is expected to eventually restore the immensely popular Lake Washington sockeye recreational fishery
Secured increases in hatchery production for Puget Sound recreational fisheries
Passed legislation to reform the Puget Sound Recreational Fisheries Enhancement Program and focus on increasing angler opportunity
Blocked the transfer of recreational license revenues to support commercial hatchery production in Willapa Bay and Puget Sound
Urged Pacific Fishery Management Council to restrict fisheries for oceanic forage species until their vital contributions to salmon populations are better quantified
Worked with the WDFW to initiate a wild fall Chinook brood stock program at the Priest Rapids Hatchery
Advocated for the elimination of the winter directed gillnet season and successfully gained a significant harvest rate reduction to restore the dwindling sturgeon population in the Columbia River
Volunteered at multiple hatcheries around the state to help with the rearing of Chinook, Coho and Steelhead
Identified and reported over 50 derelict gillnets on the Chehalis River
Opposed plans to turn the Cathlamet Channel into a commercial fishing SAFE area which would have blocked a popular recreational fishery and a travel zone for ESA listed species
Provided data to fisheries managers regarding the devastating effects of gillnetting on our dwindling sturgeon populations
Continue to promote a Recreational Priority in the legislature
Re-initiation of Summer Steelhead Recycling on the Cowlitz River
Secured funding for a Lake Washington Predation Study to help restore the sockeye salmon run
Secured funding for the Cowlitz River Net Pen Program
Helped promote the value of recreational fishing and conservation to the Governor’s office
Worked with NOAA fisheries to expedite Approval of Puget Sound Steelhead Hatchery Plans
Secured funding from CCA’s Building Conservation Trust to help with habitat restoration and protection efforts related to extreme drought conditions
Supported multiple kids fishing events around the state with funding and volunteer support
Active at the national level on the reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Remain active in the process to establish a boat launch at Point No Point for the recreational fishing community
Helped defend against attacks by the Wild Fish Conservancy against all 62 Mitchell Act funded mitigation hatcheries on the Columbia River
Spearheaded a letter sent by 20 Washington State Senators to the heads of the federal National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supporting Mitchell Act funded hatchery programs
Worked with the Legislature to secure nearly $500,000 in the supplemental budget to assist in obtaining the necessary approvals to continue operating hatcheries on the Columbia River
Supported efforts of our federal Congressional delegation to secure $3 million in additional funding for the National Marine Fisheries Service to expedite their hatchery approval process
Worked with the saveourhatcheries.org campaign, along with several other recreational groups, to preserve our hatcheries in Washington state
Submitted comments to our federal fisheries managers supporting their proposed approval of hatchery programs on the Snohomish River system
Work at the federal level to make sure the highly contested sector separation does not further erode recreational fishing opportunity
Helped ensure that over a half million juvenile hatchery steelhead smolts were released into the Dungeness, Nooksack, Stillaguamish, Skykomish and Snoqualmie Rivers
Along with a broad group of coalition partners, developed a comprehensive document outlining several aspects of the Puget Sound salmon season-setting process that need reform in order to make co-management more effective and more closely follow 50/50 sharing obligations
Alerted fisheries managers to the inconsistencies in sockeye salmon management on the Columbia River, including the decision to allow gillnetters to harvest sockeye landed as bycatch which ultimately resulted in the unnecessary closure of very popular fisheries in the Upper Columbia River
Continued volunteer efforts on a wild winter steelhead supplementation effort on the Green River
Supported another recreational fishing organization in gathering approximately 200 concerned anglers at the George Adams hatchery to communicate their frustration with the closure of salmon fishing on the Skokomish River
Helped institute a two-rod endorsement for the Hanford Reach
Advocated for the passage of national legislation, the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act, to control sea lion predation in the Columbia River basin
Developed a nutrient enhancement program at Voights Creek Hatchery on the Puyallup River system
Secured funding for the development of a new hatchery and education complex on the Deschutes River in South Puget Sound that will produce nearly 4 million Chinook smolts

We Need You!

CCA Washington cannot succeed in recovering our fisheries without the active involvement of concerned citizens. Whether to raise funds or to gain new members, your help is crucially important to keep us in position to stop entrenched special interests and putting the needs of the resource first.

With your help, CCA Washington will stay actively engaged to put conservation first, promote selective fishing, and help vitalize and restore Washington’s precious marine resources.