PORTLAND — The Coastal Conservation Association has announced it will file a motion to join the lawsuit over new Columbia River gillnet rules in the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Two leaders in the commercial industry filed a suit challenging the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adoption in December of regulations to phase the use of gillnets off the main stem of the Columbia and into off-channel areas.
The court ordered a stay while the legal petition proceeds.
CCA will file a motion to join on behalf of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The association has hired legal counsel.
“We expected lawsuits from the gillnet industry and will work tirelessly to keep the new management policy for the Columbia on track,” said Dave Schamp, chairman of CCA-Oregon. “We are confident that the court will ultimately uphold the new rules.”
