I read an article in the paper last night about the Muckleshoots sending 80 boats to net their portion of the sockeye in Lake Washington. Muckleshoots Seafood Inc are marketing the fish are better than Copper River salmon (I don't disagree). Their reasoning for netting is this is for subsistance and ceremonial rights. And Safeway is buying all the fish they catch. But, the fact they are selling them to Safeway seems more like monitary rights. I definitely won't be buying fish from Safeway and might even stop shopping there. What's your view on this topic?

Sounds like commercial fishing to me.

Anyone familiar with the Boldt decision?? Are there any legal implications??

Subsistance and ceremonial rights my a$$! I don't think they should be allowd to recieve any anoumt of money (or even give away) for fish the are netted under thouse. I wonder if they are even allowed to sell thouse fish....

Before everyone gets all worked up, are you sure the article said they are going to net BEFORE the announcement of whether or not there'll be a season for everyone?

I'd bet that the Muckleshoots are just preparing to net their share in the lake if the season opens.

I agree with 4salt.. The WDFW site says that both tribal and state biologists were waiting until the escapement was met.....It's at approximately 195,000 now.....

Hey 4Salt ..et al...I have some waterfront property for sale in Arizona....



This is a tribal gill netter outside the locks NETTING NOW......not waiting until the escapement happens.....I'd be glad to follow the Boldt Decision if only the tribes would.....50/50 is a thing only dreams are made of....today it is catch all you can whenever you can.....

SOB!

WTF!

Pure BS!


That about sums up all that needs to be said about that picture Grandpa.

Ceremonial fishing, tomorrows friday night isn't it. by the looks of his corks(some sunk) he seems to be doing pretty good,gonna have plenty of bbq sockeye for the party

someone please correct me if I'm wrong but the tribes ceremonial catch is not counted towards their quota either as far as I know and by the way this is not the first time this has occurred.

What FnP said.....cubed.

I hate gill nets, no matter whose they are.

Based on the WDFW info, this makes these net owners not only cheats, but liars as well.

Mike

OK, I have always backed the Muckleshoots. But only when it comes to the sockeye run. Well if it's gonna be that way, Those mutha @$#^%$ can kiss my arse and along with this $#@*&^ up state.
Thanks for the photo Grandpa!

I have tried to tell people for years about the tribes dumping fish over at Hoodsport, they dump the bucks and take the eggs out of the females and dump them all on the beach.Seems pretty wasteful to catch them for subsistance and then dump them to rot!
Have seen them net in the skagit and take everything, saw a king that had a tail so wide, it was wider than touching my thumbs and spreading my hands and fingers out.This thing was a pig, they never looked twice at it, just put it in the fish box with everyting else. really made me sad.
That picture is worth 1000 of our licenses, think of the missed economic opportunity because they are not allowing those fish to go upriver,or lake,well you know............
You won't see that picture in the paper......................Fishy.......

I stand corrected grandpa..........

So much for the tribes giving a &^%*&..They really built a bridge with that one...

I have encouraged people in the past to take photos like this one so when we hear the rosy stuff we can see what really happens. I notice in the photo that there is an escape through the small locks but the nets stretch over towards the fish ladder. Look in the viewing windows and guess what else you will see? Chinook....that's right..the threatened run of Chinook moving up into the lake. Do you think that the same folks who claim ceremonial rights and sustinence rights (food) would let these threatened fish go? Even if they would they won't survive a gill net anyway. And if anyone had the time try filming after dark in the canal all the way from the locks to the lake.

Then..one of these days the tribes will announce their "opening" and then the fleet of gill netters in all things big and small will converge on Lake Washington to get their fair share... Oh and all you have to do is call the tribes if you want to get a count of the catch. They'lll be happy to tell you whatever you want to hear. Call WDFW and see what they say if you ask them how many Sockeye have been netted so far. Try it some time.

Sorry to say that accountability is non existent with the tribes. We are handing them our fisheries on a silver platter and I know the Boldt Decision did not mandate that.

I think most of will agree that this is an OUTRAGE and it happens regularly across our state. What organizations fight to protect these rights for the sportsman? Do any of the organizations soley fight to preserve our rights and combat the tribes? I wine alot about this problem too, I'm just looking for a group to be my voice........

I sent a link to this thread by e-mail to Mark Yuasa, the writer for the Seattle Times fishing section. Will also send one to Greg Johnston at the P-I.

well, if any of you fish the skokomish and know its a great lil river with a real healthy run of fish, being its gonna be closed this year for the month of august.. you can bet the tribes will be netting and if you look beneath the bridge, you might jus see some nice fall kigs jus laying in water underneath that bridge. i know them fish didnt come from the sportsmen.. when august rolls around, jus go down there and take a look and see if they still get to net..

But "WDFW is working closely with federal fisheries agencies and tribal co-managers to ensure that Puget Sound salmon fisheries are opened and conducted in compliance with the Endangered species act..." Yeah, what a crock of ****e. If any of you have ever been to the Skok (I'm sure most of you have) it doesn't seem to me that it's an unhealthy run needing assistance from ANY agencies. I'm sure, no almost positive, tribes will be netting there at the first sign of fish and dumping them, like BB75 said.It's like that on alot of other rivers this year too. They've got something up their sleeve.

I spoke to a WDFW Employee today who will remain unamed that advised me that any fish taken by tribal nets will be counted in the overall run size tally, but not until AFTER the season is over. Meaning that any fish taken by the tribes are negatively affecting the total escapment goal we are trying to reach to get to go fishing. Notice how those coutns dipped dramatically in the last few days then crept back up?

BTW folks, that is most likely not a Muckleshoot boat, but a Suquamish boat netting those fish. Muckleshoots shifted from netting in south LW to a location above the locks in the last few years.
The Muckleshoots arent the only tribe allowed to net these fish.

There was an article on the netting in the King County Journal Newspaper yesterday. Acccording to the report they were allowed to take 2500 fish for ceremonial and misc. purposes. I saw another deal where the sockeye they are catching is selling for $18 a pound. The article in the journal was a promotion for their Muckleshoot brand Sockeye.