Hawk,

I like you quote. Good one.

Good Fishing, Darin

Thank god they outlawed whaling. I was tired of keeping one eye open to see if someone was going to stick me with a harpoon.

I have caught alot of fish over the years out of the hood canal tribs and would have to say that more have wounds from fighting the gauntlet of seals than do not.The fish eating mammals in the canal I believe is the biggest reason left that the fish do not come back to there former status.

An old-timer once told me that the seal pop. in the canal started growing after the hood canal bridge was built because the transient killer whales quit coming in and thinning them out.

Very interesting Cleo..... and funny once again Hawk!
Good Fishing, Darin

this is great news for the salmon in this area and here is link to the story that I just found.http://www.mcbi.org/News/Orca_balance.htma

this just goes to show that you dont need to waste your time ranting about shooting sea lions. god will do the trick. but we do have hands that can hold pens and type on keyboards for a reason. If everyone who posted a reply to this(myself included) wrote one letter to our fisheries officials stating that we will no longer allow any nets in our rivers no matter the color of skin of the netter. now that will make a difference

I wonder if Orcas think those guys stringing nets in the Rivers taste like chicken?

Hawk & Chappy,

I couldn't agree more! Seriously, some if not all the people on this long thread should take ten minutes out of their day today, tomarrow or by the end of the week and type/write a quick but thoughtful statement about netting etc.. I think your right Chappy, it would have some effect! Maybe we should take/make a poll here????
Good Fishing, Darin

We saw the whole pod again on Sunday in the Canal off of Potlatch boat ramp. We were about to check the crab pots when they came along. That is one big male Orca, as were sitting there watching, the pod went right under the boat At first we thought it was a shadow on the water until they came up about 40 feet away. Haven't seen a seal in the South End of the Canal for 2 weeks now. Guess the Orcas are really doing there part in Salmon recovery over there.

Report on NPR tonight said the pod ate half of the estimated 1500 seals in t Hood Canal

Here's a link to the PI. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/110025_whales25.shtml

We need them in Grays Harbor. They use to come in but not anymore. We have over 5,000 seals with no predators at all. Great whites used to come in too. That 18’ great white at the Pacific Science center was netted by G.H. Paper in the 70’s. I’m told the seals only eat the zipperlip fish going to the Skookumchuck.

Chappy, Steelnerves,
I hate to burst your bubble; the tribes are fishing because federal courts have determined that their right to fish is guaranteed by treaties signed with the US government in the 1800's. No amount of writing to the WDFW or to the state legislature will make one whit of difference. The tribes have, as a matter of fact, been appointed co-managers, along with the WDFW, of the resource. It is not a matter that comes under state jurisdiction, that battle was fought, and lost, many years ago. I never cease to be amazed that this subject comes up again and again, I would have thought that most steelhead and salmon fishermen would have educated themselves as to this state of affairs.

Now clearing them out that way I am all for

Yes! Another upshot to the decrease of seals will be lower fecal coliform counts that have kept some of the canal's best clam and oyster beds close for years. There were so many seals crapping all over the place that some great shellfish beds have been closed because they were unfit for human consumption. Maybe that will change now.

I hope so!

Preston...,

Thanks for the info....I sorta meant that as a joke...But, in time if enough concern is given to such issues new agreements can be made(through the Feds)...It still never hurts to voice your concern to the right people. It atleast acts a a future catalyst and choppin block.
I am fairly familiar with the ol' Fed-Indian agreements, particularly the one that set it all in stone some time ago....
Goo