Clallam Democrats support special education funding

On March 23, the Clallam County Democratic Central Committee passed a motion in support of full funding for special education services in the State of Washington.

While the state caps special education enrollment at 13.5 percent, school districts by statute are required to serve all students who qualify for these services. Currently, 18 percent of the Port Angeles School District’s students qualify for and are enrolled in special education programs.

Two bills (SB 5311 and HB 1436) proposing increased special education funding are currently under consideration in the Washington State Legislature. These bills would require the state to fully fund special education programs by the 2027-2028 school year.

The schools, however, need this funding now.

The Clallam County Democratic Central Committee represents the Democratic Party in Clallam County on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Denise Mackenstadt

Sequim

Clarification of gillnets

The Sequim Gazette’s guest opinion article on salmon management and commercial gillnets correctly notes that gillnets are selective “by time, place and mesh size” (“Salmon management must build on the lessons of the past 50 years,” Ed Johnstone, March 15, page A-12).

But that begs an important point not included in the otherwise informative article: Gillnets are not a selective method of harvesting salmon.

All methods of fishing, whether selective or non-selective, are selective by “time” and by “place” merely by choosing when and where to employ each method. For example, using a clearly non-selective method such as dynamite to kill every fish in a body of water is “selective” by time and place because we can choose when and where to dynamite for fish.

But selecting the time and the place cannot cause non-selective methods of fishing, such as dynamiting or gillnetting, to become selective methods.

Selective methods of harvest must minimize mortality of protected, non-targeted species and/or of natural-born (versus hatchery-born) fish. Gillnets are not selective, regardless of the selected “mesh size.” Mesh size merely determines the size-range of fish that will be captured. It protects other fish by their size, not by their species nor by their natural origin.

Therefore, a selected mesh size that captures and kills a targeted, twelve-pound, hatchery-born chinook salmon will also capture and kill a protected twelve-pound steelhead, coho salmon, sturgeon, natural-born salmon, etc.

Simply put, gillnets are not a selective method of harvesting salmon because mesh size is not selective as to targeted fish — and therefore does not minimize mortality of protected, non-targeted fish.

This fact, along with the many important points in your article, should inform our governor, our elected state leaders and tribal and state co-managers as to the proper role of commercial gillnet fishing vis-à-vis salmon management.

Darryl Wareham

Aberdeen