One of the best reports on Washington's fish problems appears this week in Seattle Weekly (Aug.19). "Scraping the Bottom" details retired Fisheries biologist Sam Wright's efforts to get our Fish and Wildlife Department to do anything meaningful about downward-spiraling fish populations. It's interesting that the claims and concerns of this respected scientist are almost identical to those expressed by the sponsors and supporters of I-696(BAN). You can access this feature story at seattleweekly.com Check it out; it's a "keeper".

This is a very good article and so true that it hurts.If you fish the saltwater very much, the evidence is vry clear.Yet,they keep on letting them DRAG the bottom with those huge scoop shovels and nets.OUCH!! I forwarded a copy on to the FDW Commision's e-mail. If some had an address book set up for the Washington State lawmakers, every single one of them should get a copy, maybe, one or two would read it.

Thanks, Scotty, for spreading the word. Seattle's other weekly tabloid, the Stranger(Aug.19-25), has a full-page feature on the Muckleshoot Elliot Bay fishery. It's called "Go Fish" and can be found at thestranger.com The reporter, Ben Jacklet, questions whether the tribe should be condemned for taking 1000+ native chinook while the "politicians and the greeners looked away,"or praised for conducting a limited harvest. It's a thought-provoking news story and worth reading. It's too bad Seattle's daily newspapers won't print fish facts that oppose their editorial opinion or their sense of political correctness.

[This message has been edited by CedarR (edited 08-20-1999).]

[This message has been edited by CedarR (edited 08-20-1999).]

The Muckleshoot being allowed to net that run is a disgrace. 50% of 0 harvest is 0. The feds should have stopped it. I believe several other tribes are not too pleased. There was a report that another tribe decided not to net that run. They should be identified and praised for their action.

I HEARD FROM A PERSON CLOSE TO THE TRIBE THAT THEY HAVE CAUGHT 2.500 KINGS IN THE GILLNET FISHERY IN ELLIOT BAY. I THINK THAT IS WAY TOO MANY FOR AND IT SHOULD BE STOPPED AT ONCE
HOW ARE THE FISH GOING TO SURVIVE IF WE LET THE TRIBES DESTROY THE NATIVE RUNS!!!!!!!!!!

I read an article about the netting of the kings, by the muckleshoots. The comment was the lack of protest at the fishing grounds in comparison to the protest at the neah bay whale hunt. Also the article made the statement that it is surprised that the protest for the grey whale makah hunt was so huge, and that the grey whales are no longer endangered. While the king salmon are on the endangered list. My question is, are there any sportsman groups that organize protests on net fisheries, such as the muckleshoots. I think this muckleshoot fishery is an outrage!

mike

It is hard to understand the reasoning behind allowing commercial fishing.I was shocked last Tuesday morning , I went across Bellingam Bay and there were gill netters(NON-TRIBAL) all over the place. I found the opening report later on WDFW pages, they are fishing w/ 7 inch mesh, obviouly fishing for Chinook. The Nooksack river dumps into Bellingham Bay. The Nooksack Chinook are on the endagered species list, my concern is WHY are they fishing for endangered fish in the first place.If anyone has an answer, I would like to hear it. Thanks

I have heard that the native component of the Nooksack fish is only a fall run, while the spring run is entirely hatchery produced. Also, the spring run is derived from fish not of Nooksack origin. Part of the Wild Salmonid Policy requires the phase out of runs of hatchery fish that are not derived from the native stocks of the same river, so perhaps the B'ham Bay fishery is intended to catch and remove those fish. I know that the river was also open last spring for sportsmen, and that the fishing was pretty good for those fish.

Fish on...
Todd.

I tried to find the harvest summary for marked/unmarked salmon for the Nooksack on the WDFW website but had no luck. I've had the Steelhead Harvest Summary (www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/harvest/harvest.htm) bookmarked for a while now ( I'm living in Port Angeles now),and it shows '95-'97 unmarked/marked catches for rivers all over the state. It shows the catch for each month, and if there's one like that for salmon, it would tell us if the Nooksack gets native kings this time of year, IF there was a sport fishery. If not, then maybe there's a site that gives escapement data. Does someone know of a site for salmon that's like the steelhead one? I'd try some more, but I'm getting ready to leave tommorow for Skeena, Kitimat, Nass.

Thanks for the input. Yes,the Nooksack was open last year for Chinook, but not this year. It was a good year for all species, coho,chum and chinook.
Bellingham VoTech has a hatchery program on Whatcom Creek and they release a lot of Chum, Steelhead,Chinook and Coho. There are quite a few pens spread out in the harbor and in the bay from time to time. There are also pens around the docks at Cherry Point,(this makes for good sport fishing and a lot of the old timers fly fish for the silvers here) They raise mostly coho for the gill netters.The Lummis were up inside of Sandy Point a couple years ago w/ gills nets in the channel.It is almost impossible to get them to take a hook in the bay. Sports(?) fisherman do snag a lot of the returning fish in the Whatcom Creek waterway behind the post office and a few make it up the fish ladders. It will be interesting year for Whatcom Creek since the fire ravaged the creek, but life is coming back to the vegitation and they bypassed the water flow around part of the saturated river beds.

fishtale, if you notice the replys after you reply the natives are not the only ones that are netting. As for the comment that we must stop the native netting ,you and most of the other fisherman don,t and apparently never will understand that We have no say so on what the natives do. There is absolutely nothing we can do because of there rights. That's the way it is ,so let's try to work together. I read a reply that we should let the natives run more of the hatcheries, which is a good idea considering that hatcheries are being shut down because of lack of funding. Let's not point fingers when the decline of fish is being done by both sides. I support B.A.N.

DUCK IN THE FOG I DONT KNOW HOW LONG YOU HAVE LIVED IN THIS AREA,BUT JUST LET ME SAY THIS THE GREEN USED TO BE FULL OF NATIVE KINGS BUT SINCE AFTER THE JUDGE BOLT DECISION RUNS HAVE GONE DOWN HILL I GREW UP NEXT TO THE RIVER AND AT PALMER YOU COULD WALK ACROSS THE RIVER ON THERE BACKS.IM NOT SAYING THAT THERE THE ONLY PROBLEM JUST PART. THE FISH LIVE TO SPAWN AND THEY GET NETTED BY TOO MANY GROUPS OF PEOPLE THE FISH MAKE THERE WAY TO THE RIVER THEN GET NETTED AND ALOT OF THEM END UP ROTTING IN THE BACK OF SOMEONES TRUCK!!!!!!!!!

Fishtales, the reason behind what I say is that in my area(Yakima) there is no state hatchery that is planting steelhead in the Yakima River. But The natives are running 2 hatcheries that are. The Natives are doing something whether right or wrong does'nt matter. The are doing something. I'm sure it will happen on the west side too in time. I support B.A.N.

Duck, I read a study on the viability of wild steelhead production on the upper Columbia rivers. I believe the Yak was one of the rivers that supported a very small, almost non-existant run of steelhead. I don't understand why the state doesn't plant the Yak because the Okanogan and the Similakameen were also poor steelhead rivers but each one of them gets 50k smolts. Maybe the state feels that the tribe can support the Yak with federal monies. Are the hatcheries fererally supported or strictly native monies? (do they drive federal trucks?) I do disagree with you that forever is a long time (to change the Boldt Decision) and I will continue to bitch and moan when a American has a seperate and different right than I. snit

Point of interest, I was at Squalicum Harbor today and stopped to talk to a Non-tribal gill netter who was loading up his fish box in the back of his truck. I asked him how much he got form the buyers, said they were paying $1.00, but he was getting $1.75 by running an add in the newspaper,(the rules I read says he is allowed to only take home 1 sports limit-1 fish) I checked, sure enough, also selling Sockeye(which is closed. These fish,,about 35 of them averaging 20+# each were all fresh gill netted at Point Francis, which is less than 1/2 mile from the mouth of the Nooksack, which has Chinook listed as endagered. Then to top that, on the way home out Marine Drive, I crossed the Nooksack, here was a Tribal member with a gill net steched acroos the Nooksack, about 1/2 miles from the mouth. I guess he wanted his share of the NON-ENDAGERED ones.
Just food for thought.
P.S., this guy wanted my opinion of the Ban, needless to say he wasn't very happy.

You guys, if it is run by Indians then it is Fed money. The trucks they drive (including Personal trucks) are, by and large, paid for by the fed. "Tribal Hatcheries" where do you think that money comes from> C

Chuck, at least the monies are being spent on the resource, it's there option where it is to be spent. They (natives) are doing more no matter where the monies are coming from. To them I say "thank you."

I keep seeing thie statement" hatcherys are closing do to the lack of money". Remember the money is there the gov. just dosent want to give it to us. I read an artical some months ago that sugested our taxes, licencesand punch cards could fund our Fishery programs but the powers to be would rathe use it for other purposes.

Ron's right on. Just think about it our money for tags and licenses go to the general fund and the state has a surplus on the budget. But the state can't come up with and suposedly don't have the money to keep reiter ponds going?? just a thought. Tight lines.
Kevin