I just learned that the Skagit tribes are netting the river. They are targeting Sockeye,but as of Wednesday have not reported any of those. What pisses me off is that in just one day of reporting they killed 80 hatchery and 5 wild springers. They are allowed to keep netting until they they kill 50 wild springers. If those numbers continue that would be about 800 total hatchery springers killed before anyone else even has a chance at them. So much for another good june springer fishery. I don't even want to think about what kind of damage is being done to the wild steelhead that are trying to do their thing.

I share the concern that more harm may occur to wild steelhead than to wild spring chinook. The hatchery chinook are there for the taking. When the impacts to wild chinook and steelhead are considered, maybe all parties ought to reconsider the value of continuing the hatchery spring chinook program.

Sg

Doing away with the hatchery springers won't stop them. They will still say they are targeting Sockeye and continue killing mutiple species. At least once all the wild fish are gone we will all be able to fish year round for whatever is left.

The sockeye don't really run in significant numbers until the last week of June. Sounds bogus to me. Not the best management practice to assert they are being targeted in May. I'd like to see them try to target Fraser sockeye 6 weeks ahead of a specific stock's normal timing. Couldn't be done.

Sg

Ban the nets!~!! Bring back the fish traps. That was the old way.
Then the wild fish and hatchery fish that are not the targeted species can be released. GILL nets made from Mono where not made or invented when the treaties where SIGNED.

If the tribes Fish like the White man using present day technology then they should be held to our laws. Case should be closed but it won't be

Fantastico !

Todd???

+100

I wonder how many downstream spawner steelhead they'll scoop up? Being ESA listed, there should be an impact ceiling, I'd think.

Fish on...

Todd

It's sh!t like this that makes me want to take us bass fishing.

Same boat here on the Nooksack.

The Nooksack Tribe has received approval for CnS harvest of 80 chinook out of the North Fork in, I believe, May and June. Apparently, the Lummi Nation has similar netting approval but I have not had time to confirm that.

I wonder how many Steelhead they'll kill in the process.

Anyone interested in getting the Noodlin' for Catfish program going on the South Fork.

Ed

This is not a bogus post.. There have been nets since the closure at tbe end of march.. Drift and Set.. I see it regulary from Sedro Woolley up to Hamilton. This is Bull [censored]... we have had this conversation before about how the indians only take the hooking mortality of the sportfisherman and what not...b.s... considering they have been netting the Native "esa" listed Steelead since the feb..
We get every restriction.. can't take them out of the water blah blah blah.... and here the tribes are netting the steelhead when the river is shut down to preserve them... Pretty straight forward b.s skagit style..

Careful what you wish for.

Remember the "recovery" plan for ESA-listed upriver spring chinook on the CR calls for fisheries systematically killing 15% of the spawners each and every year. 87% of that ESA wild take is allocated to the tribes (13 of the 15 percent) while non-tribals squabble over the remaining 2%.

If a similar plan were imposed on the Skagit, recreational angling for steelhead as we know it today is doomed!

Ohh and don't forget what will happen if you are a white man and get caught keeping one of the endangered species....like a court date..huge fine and confiscation of your boat and possibly your vehicle..

Anyone know a reporter with the times I tried to get our local paper to do a story on this but no one called me back. Maybe if more people knew what was going on it may help

This is a very sad deal!!! From what i understand the tribes presented this fishery at the very last minute at the North of Falcon meetings creating quite a upstir... Seems that it not only will be going on in the skagit river but in the bay as well and it's a gill net fisherey with a Bycatch qouto of 7000 Chinnook.. Would be nice if a repersenative that attended the NOF meetings coulg fill us in on all exacts.

Perhaps the tribes would fish the old way if you would too.

The tribes have a right to fish. For you Goatram and everyone else, its a meer privledge. There is a big difference.
Maybe if you give them there land back, they wont take everything to the treaty bank Goatram.

Fact is they get to net ESA runs until almost extinction. That could mean 1 male and 1 female skagit steelhead left before there done. Then Todd will kill it due to fighting it to many times with his pink worm. Lol Kidding Todd.

As long as Sporties bitch and dont really band together, nothing will change...Just more griping threads.

Get used to it. The treaty will be around for a long time, no matter how out of date it is.

MC Hammer wrote a song about the treaty and CCA and all other groups that would love to stop it, "Cant touch this".

Do I hate it? Yes, What can I do alone as a sporty? Nothing. I feel helpless too...

Who did the tribes take thier land from? In this world only the strong survive. I am so sick of hearing about how the "the white man took our land" BS! The land belongs to no man. We have been blessed with the oppourtunity to care for it and enjoy it but all of mankind is responsible for F"ing it up. Good luck with this-TBJ

I agree 100%

If they want traditional fishing grounds and rights then they should be held to traditional methods--from the tools and methods they use and even the clothes they have to wear.

Same with the Makah and the whales. If they want to gouge out a cedar log for a boat and use a long stick with a carved bone harpoon point to try and take on a 32000 lb. behemoth like they truly did traditionally, I'm all for it.
That wont happen though because of a few very common human conditions known as 'Lazy,' 'Greedy,' and 'Chickensh*t'.

It pisses me off when Natives try and feed me some "tradition" crap when they use GPS, helicopters, fiberglass boats with jetpumps, and plastic nets.

Oh And FYI, for the newbies, I happen to be native.