They are still netting the Chehalis 4 days a week, for the next 2 weeks. All for $.60 a lb.

Fishhead5

it's a buck a pound.

it's a buck a pound.

Is that supposed to be funny, potter? I don't see anything funny about it .

Sixty cents, a buck........it's all crap as far as I can see. Nice.

Very Funny Potter. Sixty cents a pound isn't even worth getting your feet wet, but for a dollar a pound you'll kill every Goddamn fish in the state!

Not trying to be funny but it's hard to read untruths and not reply. Do people just make this stuff up as they go? The price was never .60. It was .75 and went up to a buck 2 weeks ago.

Potter:

Thanks for making my point from another thread. These fish are worth a buck a pound to the Tribes and they are priceless to us. I think you and some of your friends should rethink your values!!!

This to me is ridiculous, the fish they are catching are all the upper chehalis river native stock, which is cand r for sportsman, like it should be. I was just looking at some catch statistics today and the number of fish that have been taken out of that area by the tribes is sick. I hope everyone can sit down someday together and come up with some kind of agreement to stop the senseless slaughter and get the fish runs back up to where they should be where more people will benefit from them.
Peace Superfly

As I mentioned, we won't be getting into anything blatantly racist on this BB. Not all Native Americans are into the over harvest by gillnet of native steelhead to the detriment of present and future fish runs. But by circumstance of unfortunate interpretation of Treaties and improper over fishing past what those Treaties and Federal Court reviews of them allocated for, a group of people that happen to be Indians are taking unfair advantage of, and even breaking Treatiy laws with this wrongful gillnetting of nates! That is not racism, but realism! I'm just as opposed to whites or other races of people gillnetting nates. What could possibly be 'reverse' racism is this: it was never historic Indian tradition to over harvest the fish resources, but for some of them it is now - could this be about more than just a relatively small amount of money? Could it be partly a 'rub it in "whitey's" face' situation to be doing this because of what some white people's ancestors did in another lifetime?!? Sorry to have to say this, but by most accounts this seems probable. That's very unfortunate and counterproductive for all parties in the short and long run. I wish and hope for better sense to abate this scenario before it's too late. The Indian's can certainly get monetary compensation for not netting the nates. SO - why don't they?!? Is the answer in the above scenario, or is there something we are unaware of that we should know about? I want to know if my suspicions, and others, are wrong. And what can be done to resolve the issue! Potter? Anyone?

RT

Potter, a friend of mine was fishing down on the Quinault and thats what Frank told him. I figured the info was pretty good. Even at a buck a lb, I guess the question we all have a problem with is why? Money? Tradition? or just because you can. I don't get it. Give me one good reason and I'll go away.

RT, Very well put! I especially agree with you on the issue of the tribal fishermen continueing to net natives just to"Rub it in whitey's face" as you say. I do not think that anything that is said about tribal fishermen on this site could be called "Racist" provided it is true. Besides, the Racism card is getting a little played out, if you ask me. If the tribes don't want everybody to hate them, then stop netting up all the fish. If they don't mind all of the negetive feedback that they get as a result of their unbridaled assault of our native runs, then by all means, net away. I just find it funny how tribal members get on this site, talk about tribal netting like its some nobel tradition to totally wipe out runs just in the name of selling the fish at Pike Place Market, then they act hurt and surprized when all the sport fishermen on this site are pissed off at them. These tribal guys have got to expect that us sporties aren't going to agree with them on this issue.

Potter is just about as nice a lady as you would ever want to meet, plus offers us alot of insight and true information on Indian affair's, not to mention she can out fish most of men I know so I it goes back to what your parents told you boy's if you don't have something nice to say dont say anything at all. If you had the chance to fish with her you would understand what I'm trying to say so back off!!! PEACE

Look FAST,

Nobody was bagging on potter personally, so save your lecture. I have no problem with potter, but I do have a problem with nets in the Chehalis and Natives being sold for a buck a pound, and I am damn well going to say I think it's crap. Don't like it? Too bad.

Fastwater:

I have been very vocal and hard on tribal fishermen on this board and want to make it clear that I don't have anything personal against Nativepride or Potter or any other Native American. I don't hate the tribes. I just hate what they do to our natural resources. I respect the tirbal members that post here. This is a hostile environment when it comes to Tribal issues and they have the guts to stand up for their beliefs.

.....IMHO: I just don't understand the idea of netting wild runs of fish,
that the tribes are doing nothing to help the returns,
You Guys have you're own damn river with you're own damn hatcheries,So I guess when you're done netting the Chehalis toDEATH you'll still have you're own little private fishery going own
yet you give the same tired explanation as always "It's our right to " all you do is take, take, take and blame the sporty's for all the problems.....try being part of the solution not the EXTINCTION

All for a FREAKING Dollar a lbat least we know what you're Tradition&Heritage goes for now days

just my .02.....Os

: Message edited by: Duct Tape ]

[ 04-05-2001: Message edited by: Osprey ]

Hopefully I’ll close this sensitive topic with a reply. There are as many different reasons why tribal fishermen fish, as there are why sporties fish. However, I don’t know of any tribal fishermen who fish to “Rub it in Whitey’s face." Keep in mind that the tribal fishermen feel they are catching their share of a harvestable amount of fish. I realize this is the rub. Many members on this board feel that all native fish are needed for escapemant. The co-managers have agreed that there are harvestable wild fish. The netting on the Chehalis is legal. The Quinault tribe spends about 25,000 dollars a year on Chehalis escapement estimates. There are spawner survey crews out counting redds all season. The Chehalis catch is sampled every week for hatchery contribution. I know most board members are still irate but to target the tribal fishermen seems futile.

[ 04-05-2001: Message edited by: potter ]

While fishing the Nisqually last year during Chum season had an indian drift his net 5 feet in front of me and pull out 20 feet below me. When I thanked him for this,(in a resonably polite way) his reply was and "I'll do it every chance I get" Seems to me he was rubbing it in whiteys face.

Had the same thing happen to me on the Green about 10 years ago. There were about 5 of us fishing the bank. I still have a sour taste in my mouth....

Listen, there are good sport fisherman who care about the environment and the fish runs. There are also dishonest fishermen and snaggers out there who don't give a crap about anybody else besides bringing home some meat.

Its the same with tribal fishermen. Some of them care very deeply about the fish runs and the elk herds, and some don't give a **** about anything.

You can't group a bunch of people together and call them "tribal fishermen" and then extrapolate every misdeed you see onto the group as a whole.

Now when the tribes manipulate the law and regulations for their benfit, like exceeding treating allocations to the detriment of me (and other sport fishermen) then I will speak out against it. This is an organized effort to grab all they can from a shared resource, and everyone else gets crapped on.

You guys are hillarious. Everytime I check the board, guys are ranting and raving about the Natives decimating runs, and how the evil Natives will be the end all of Wa streams.
Yet the sportys in your State still have a Wild steelhead kill! Get it together boys.... if Washington sportys cared so much about the fish(and I know some of you do), there would be no wild kill. The sport fisherman in your state have to get their own business in order first, and then lobby to have the nets removed. As long as there is a sport kill, you guys have no argument against the Natives that have a treaty right to harvest fish.

The Natives will always be an easy target to pick on, and their damage to the resource will always be overstated. The commercial harvest and open sea netting is the number 1 enemy of all sport fisherman. At least the in stream nets are somewhat selective(stream wise, not Hatch vs Wild).

I personally believe that the sport kill and the nets should be phased out. I also beleive that as long as the sport fisherman of WA State are killing wild Steelhead, they have no argument against the Indians. When you brand the Tribes as "they", or "you guys", and lump all NAtives into one group, remember that you yourself are also "they" and "you guys", as your lobby group is currently killing wild steelhead also.

Legalize It!
MWL