Official Word

Sun., Nov. 14, 1999

Washington Fish

Initiative 696

With elections over, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department director Jeff Koenings was free last week of the law prohibiting state employees from taking sides on ballot issues.

Koenings said he was glad voters defeated Initiative 696, which would have banned most commercial net fishing in Washington waters.

“We must not be fooled into wasting our precious time on old, tired arguments that focus on allocation, on who gets what fish and how,” Koenings said. “We must move beyond one group declaring war on another group, and instead direct our energies toward the major issue at hand: How are we going to apply the best science we have to restore critical salmon habitat statewide?

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