Here's what the Quills are thinking they have done for the Quillayute river system.. Not one time did they mention the low water levels or the fact the nets were taken outta the rivers.. typical BS from the tribes... Sure makes them look good for all the people who don't know any better. I am writting a letter to the editor of the Forks Forum about this one!!!!!

http://www.forksforum.com/article.php?si...5bb88e8d7ae57be

I had heard that they were out singing the praises of all they've done for the system. Seems to go right along with their public statement that none of the tribal members utilize sleds to fish with ...

Frankly, I'm concerned about the numbers being skewed. If there is a supposed near-record number of kings returning, where were all the beds below Wilson's Ramp on the Bogachiel. When I started fihsing out here in the late 80's, the riffles below the ramp used to be full of spawning kings ... in recent years, there has been virtually nothing at all.

It's strange how their reluctance to stop netting under the conditions has been basically forgotten by both the tribe and most media sources ...

I don't believe the tribe was responsible for the change of the culvert at Whitcomb-Dimmel to allow coho to migrate there ... I also believe that the West End Sportsman Club has been primarily responsible for the distribution of carcasses from the Sol Duc hatchery for nutrient enhancement, certainly a factor in the survival of young coho as most are planted in the tribs where the juvenille coho are rearing.

Well ,maybe those atlantic salmon will do the trick?! Unfortunately those net pens have their problems too -sea lice, disease, waste, (better crabbing?)fish escaping and spawing with my steelhead buck or some other salmonid in my backyard river.... But hey, they might shut down the commercial tribal guys in the long run right...?????
-Oi-ve!

Darin

On that note, I've got a letter to the editor of the PA paper around here that I've been meaning to post.

One of the members of the Quillayute Natural Resources Committee wrote in saying that the tribe should be entitled to 50% of the profits from any fish farms in Washington State beacause they operate in public waters ...

I suppose they'll want 50% of Boeing profits too since the planes fly in public air ...

I'll find it and post it soon

Very funny Bob! that's ridiculous I say.....

Good Fishing, Darin

The quinault tribe has pretty much wiped out the salmon and steelhead runs on the humptulips.I talked with a tribal bioligist a couple weeks ago and he claims that if it werent for the tribe,there would be no fish at all in the hump.I told him he was full of **** ,and things went downhill from there.The quinaults are now working hard at getting there half?out of the Chehalis system.And so on and so on.From the Satsop river north thru the forks streams these nets are the biggest threat to the survival of steelhead runs out there.The catch and release of wild steelies by us sportspeople is a good thing,but tribal netting is going to cause us reductions in fishig opportunities in the near future.

Tribal netting makes me sick.

Easylimits,

I like the little blue "in-the-face" dude there!

Time to bust out the hay bails and barbed wire?

not to add salt to all yer wounds.... BUT...
Have any of you actually READ the treaty that Boldt interpreted as this 50% BS?
It states that "the tribes will be allowed to fish in their usual and acustom places on the reservation, and all usual places in the territory, in kind with the citizens of the territory"......

Hmmmmm, now where the hell did he get 50% of all andromadous fish, game animals, and since 1998, shellfish?

Wake up people, we have been and continue to be duped..... Who pays for all this resource?
Hell, indians don't pay squat into the system that they use to their benefit.... End of Rant

CJ

I'm missed the point. It appears the salmon runs on some OP rivers are higher than expected and much higher than they have been in the recent past. I'm not sure the Tribes should be taking 100% credit for all that good news, but the fact remains there appears to be lots of fish. That sure beats not having enough. But it would be nice if the Tribes tried to acknowledge the good work that alot of other folks are doing as well, including sport anglers and guides, like Big Bob. It's surprising how much we can accomplish if you don't worry about who's taking credit.

CJ - That issue has been beaten to death on this BB. Judge Boldt's decision was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. A 50/50 split of the resources was supported as a reasonable interpretation of the treaty as the Tribes would have understood it at the time the treaties were agreed to. The case turns on the phase "in common with". That was interpreted to mean an equitable share (i.e., 50/50 split). I recognize that lots of sport anglers disagree but that's how it came out.

Y'know up at The dalles they fish on platforms out on the rocks. Now that I have no problem with. Thats the methods the tribes have been using since time began. And they sure as hell never caught half the damn run 'till the white man came along and created a market for it.
( carl put yer puker here)

I live on a small stream and got to watch at least 30 pair of coho spawn within 100 yds of my bridge this year. It reminded me of when I was a kid years ago, the creek and even the ditches along the road would be full of fish. Over the years the runs declined to a point where in some years the only salmon you would see were the ones the dogs would drag up. I remember fishing Westport in it's hayday and watched it decline to the point where there was no salmon season and have since fished it in my own boat since it reopened. It seemed to me that there was very large increase in the size of the runs the year they stopped the commercial netting off Vancouver Island. The limits at Westport have become easy and my creek is slowly filling with fish. So to blame just the indians for the fate of our salmon and steelhead runs is not looking at the whole picture. The harvest of bait fish in the offshore waters and in Puget Sound, habitat destruction from poor logging practices, dams and pulpmills all have an effect on the runs. And yes even us sportsman have an impact.

Brief comment to cohoangler....Yes it's been beat to death....and has pissed me off since day one. "In common with" equals 50/50? Lawyer BS, in my book....same opportunity is the correct interpretation, and anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that. Unfortunately, it doesn't say much for the legal system, does it? My $0.02, of course.

Well said Fun5acres.... And that is my point, the left bleeding hearts have watched too many "Dances with Wolves" movies and decisions are based only on guilt.
How can 3% of the population have 50% of the wildlife and then call it an "equitable" split?
Also, we sportsman pay millions into the system to enhance the wildlife, the indians pay in NOTHING! No income taxes, no property taxes, nothing.
I think their ancestors would be ashamed of them.
Do it the way your ancestors did, and for sustinence only, and I have no problem with that. Do it strictly for monitary reasons and hide behind tradition and history and you are as bad or worse than the white man you blame your problems on. BTW to all you who will flame me for this or call me racist.... My son is 1/4 Klamath indian and I have taught him to be proud of who he is and not use it as an excuse to get by in life doing as little as possible for himself.....

I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that the Salmon runs have been strong all over the west, the last few years and the QNR haven't implemented their system up and down the west coast of North America. I also have a problem with the term "record". So we have the fifth highest Chinook return in 6 years? And they're boasting? Did I read that correctly, I'm sorry I must have missed something. Anyway, progress is always a good thing, even if it leads to unbridled self indulgence. The tuff question for the QNR is "How are the Steelhead doing?" and "Why aren't they benefiting from whatever is helping the Salmon?" Let me be honest. I have no idea how the Steelhead runs are currently on the Quilleute system. I'm assuming things are similar to the rivers I am familiar with, (region 4). That is, Salmon returns are up and Steelhead returns are down.

regards,
Skeeter

I usually refrain because this subject just makes me sick! I need to vent...just once!

Open a casino....

Speaking of ... where is all the money from the casinos, smoke shops, fireworks stands and other miscellaneous items going? No tax and federal assistance? With the amount of money all the casinos rake in, the entire state should be retired by the time everyone is 40!

"our" ??? I guess they own the river too!

I would be curious to know just how many of these fish go to waste... Kinda reminds me of picture of all those salmon on the barges in 1910... or how 'bout those poor Chums piled up in Hood Canal?

Nets make me sick... (Easy... insert puker here too!)

Done venting...

Downriggin'

One place all that casino money is going is into politicians pockets. The tribes are a real big lobbying force in government...The commercial fishing industry spends even more to lobby the legislature. Now a for us sportsmen???We ***** alot.
Join the RFA and help them work on legislation and some day have our own lobbyist here in Washington.

One place all that casino money is going is into politicians pockets. The tribes are a real big lobbying force in government...The commercial fishing industry spends even more to lobby the legislature. Now as for us sportsmen???We ***** (rhymes with pitch) alot.
Join the RFA and help them work on legislation and some day have our own lobbyist here in Washington.