State Sen. Kirk Pearson has been named the 2014 Legislator of the Year by the Coastal Conservation Association of Washington. Awarded Tuesday in Lacey, the honor recognizes Pearson’s commitment to the state’s fisheries and support for recreational fishing.
The Monroe Republican represents the 39th District.
The association works to preserve marine fisheries, including salmon and steelhead. The group has worked with others on creating a recreational priority for Puget Sound spot shrimp and making recreational salmon fishing a priority in the main stem of the Columbia River.
“Senator Pearson has been a champion of the immense economic, social, and conservation benefits of recreational fishing here in Washington, efforts to restore the popular sockeye fishery to Lake Washington, and defending the important role that well-managed hatcheries play in sustaining our salmon and steelhead fisheries,” Nello Picinich, executive director of CCA Washington, said in a statement.
As chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee, Pearson worked with CCA and other angler organizations to help secure funds in the 2013-15 supplemental operating budget to study in-lake predation on juvenile sockeye salmon. That is seen by some people as a possible cause behind the decline in Lake Washington sockeye population in recent years. Proponents of the study hope it will lead to management actions that would significantly improve the frequency and magnitude of Lake Washington sockeye fisheries. Lake Washington hasn’t had a recreational sockeye fishery since 2006.
Pearson estimated the economic value of the 2004 sockeye salmon fishery to the region at $9 million to $12 million.
