I seem to be in the mood to kick sand in everyone's face so here goes...

The rod and reel bunch better wake up to the fact that we have a lot of fishing opportunity as the direct result the Muckleshoot tribe. Summer steelhead, Lake Washington sockeye (they are the ones counting fish, the state doesn't have the money) and Eliot Bay Kings. Yes, kings in Eliot Bay. The state wasn't going to give us the last couple of seasons we've had but the tribe kicked them in the butt. The white society has been trying for years to shove the tribes in some dark hole hoping they will go away. We were so greedy with the fish we were not willing to share anything and Boldt was the result. Personally, I think we had it coming.

AT THE SAME TIME...

Native Americans are not conservationists. It's not in their culture. They just lacked the tools and the toys to get greedy about. We brought those things to them. I offer the following:

"It was the white man who profited. There was an insatiable Eastern market for buffalo tongue and buffalo robes. In 1832, Catlin described a wholesale buffalo slaugher carried out by six hundred Sioux on horseback. These men killed fourteen hundred animals, and then took only their tongues (Can we insert eggs in here? - DW). These were traded to whites for a few gallons of whiskey. The whiskey, no doubt, helped to dull the Indian talent to make maximum use of an animal. Among the tribes who did not trade with whites,each animal was completely used, down to the hooves. No part went to waste. And buffalo were not killed in the winter, for the Indians lived on autumn dried meat during that time. But now buffalo were killed in the winter most of all. It was in cold weather that their magnificent coats grew long and luxuriant. Catlin estimated that 200,000 buffalo were killed each year to make coats for people back East. The average hide netted the Indian hunter one pint of whiskey.
Had the Indians understood the concept of animal extinction, they may have ceased the slaughter. But to the Indians, the buffalo was a gift from the Great Spirit, a gift which would always keep coming. Decades after the disappearance of huge herds, Plains Indians still believed their return was imminent. They danced the Ghost Dance, designed to bring back the buffalo, and prayed for this miracle as late as 1890."
-excerpt from an article written by Rita Laws, a Chocktaw/Cherokee, who writes in the Oklahoma area. Here is the link for the full article: http://www.planetveggie.com/bin/veggie.pl?location=216&menu=5&defaultpage=1.

I believe the northwest tribes approach fishing in the same way - they fish using white man's boats and nets to sell the fish for white man's paper money to buy white man's toys and vices and are suffering the results of white man's excesses.

Personally I hope for the day we, the white culture, accept we have totally screwed things up in the pursuit of profit and the tribes accept they have been very able students. Once that happens then all the jerkin' around stops and we can get to work bringing the fish back. In the event anyone needs to flame I can be reached at danweatherby@hotmail.com.

White man ways? Give me a freakin break, 21st century out there. Pull your head out of your Ass Native/Spinnin fool.....At least the fool parts correct.

Be sure you wrap those hay bails with barb wire! When netting a river finally costs more than they make on the sale of the fish, they'll stop. Nets aren't cheap.

All this crap about whose counting fish for everyones benefit is just that. If there wasn't any netting going on, you wouldn't have to worry about escapement goals for to many years before the runs were strong again.

By the way, Indians used to spear fish, not gilnet them. And travel on the water ways was in a dugout, not friggin sled. Don't point your finger at just whitey for creamin the runs.

STEVE J
who do you think pays for the nets?
not the NATIVE AMERICANS, YOU AND I DO. the goverment suppilments the tribes with cheap (cost) or free nets.
Ask letty out on the coast, i asked her why more natives do not try to make a more profitable living working the casino's because the cost of fishing and the profit from do not make sense. fish all day, some days good, others not and sell the fish for a couple of buck's a pound or whole fish for $10.00. it don't add up folks. it is just poor ecomonic's, any one will strave if they had to live on the "profits". Oh yea, but they are subsudized by the US Goverment, excuss me, by the us citizen's with our tax money, yeah that's right.

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elmtree (woody)

[This message has been edited by elmtree (edited 01-19-2001).]

Got a damn good job timber.My wife says no names&no email you know how it is.Hey steve we have,nt netted lake wash. steelies or chinook in 10+ years and those runs are in the outhouse!!!I don,t know where you guys get the idea the government sends us $$$$ to buy our gear.They don,t send me jack****.I think the wheat& apple farmers get all that $$$$$$.As we speak B.P.A got an exemption from n.m.f.s to take more water from the mighty columbia. kill some more fish sure as hell can,t put that one on the native amercans!!