A few months ago I made a negative comment, which was criticized, about the Natives being allowed to release hatchery steelhead. While searching for a site that has salmon escapement data I found a very interesting 1989 magazine article (home.wwanglers.com/journal/bmhatchery.htm) on one way hatchery steelhead have an adverse affect upon native steelhead. It sounds to me that the State should only "enhance" a few meat holes, and it would better if the Natives were forced out of the hatchery steelhead business (I doubt that steelhead hatcheries are part of their cultural heritage).

So then the tribes stictly target Native steelhead in lieu of hatchery....50%+?

AkBill You won't have to worry someday there won't be any state hatcheries and the natives will be the only ones putting back into the resource.

Duck,

Are you suggesting that the numbers of fish the tribes net is less than the number of RETURNING fish from their plants?

Sure they plant more than they harvest, but with a 1-3% return rate, I get the feeling they still take more adults from the rivers than they are responsible for putting there.

Commercial netting is our enemy, regardless of whether they are tribal or non-tribal nets. Planting hatchery fish does NOT excuse the tribes' negative impact on native fish.


Fish on...........

The best way to "put back" into the resource is releasing native fish. The state should make catch and release mandatory for all native steelhead. All hatchery fish should be fin clipped that way you know which to bonk. There is large native american hatchery on the peninsula that doesn't fin clip!!! (ei This 20 lb steelhead might be a plant) The only way to selectively catch salmon/steelhead is hook/line or fish traps. If the native americans would use fishtraps several good things would happen.
1. Selective fishery including releasing fish that are too dark to sell.
2. Proper quota amounts
3. The money from the catch could be spread equally among the tribal members.
4. No nets lost that continue to catch fish.
5. No drowned birds, otters, etc.
6. Gain support of sportsmen.


This is just my opinion. Sharp hooks.

Unfortunately the state has absolutely no say or control over tribal fishing practices what so ever. The Federal government has a very minor say. They are a sovern nation. Nobody else can tell them what to do period.

This is becoming an interesting topic. As I recall, the treaty language that the Boldt decision was based upon stated that the tribes could share the resource "in common" with the white folks. Boldt interpreted that to mean 50% of the harvestable fish. If the state mandated release statewide on all waters of native (unclipped) fish, my interpretation would be that there would be no fishery on the wild steelhead for the tribes to share "in common". Probably the issue would eventually be settled in court, but it might help the wild steelhead population. However, as always, be careful what you wish for - it might happen. Which would mean that all users of the resource, including sportsmen, would be prohibited from retaining wild steelhead. If the sportsmen screwed up on this then Washington state would have only one recourse - close steelhead fishing to all. Just some thoughts.
Tight lines,
Eddie

I would gladly wish for release of all wild fish. Look at BC and the runs they get because there is a mandatory release of Wild fish. Don't see a reason to kill a wild fish. If you want something for the table take a hatchery fish that is what they are there for. The wild fish are there for the sport and to reproduce. What is going to bring more money into an area a fish that can be caught once and killed or a fish that may be caught and released by more then one angler. The fishery should be managed for maxium sustain yeild not maxium sustain harvest. Harvest isn't all it is cracked up to be. A dead fish never reproduces.

JJ

One of the problems is that they keep closing hatcheries and the amount of hatchery fish are getting less and less. So when you haven,t seen a fish for a week and the next one you catch is a native what happens you bonk it. The best way to get people not to kill natives is to put so many hatchery fish in our systems no one needs to take a native. I fish not only for the sport but for the taste of a good steelhead.

There is a big question right now about the effect hatcheries have had on native runs. Filling rivers with hatchery fish is most likely not a good idea. The state is pulling funding right and left anyway so we could never pay to fill rivers with hatchery fish. The best plan now is to say no keeping of wild fish, and shut down a hatchery on a river and keep a check on the wild fish, hell throw out all variables we can on a certain river (ie: improve streamside enviroment,kill the over abondance of seels and sea lions, shut down ALL fishing) then see if the numbers of wild fish improves. We have gotten lost in our counts in this state. We dont know what the harvestable amount of fish is on any freakin rivers!

Hey Chuck ask the Boilogists. The ones on my home river tell me the htchery fish compete very little with the natives. Its a ploy to close hatcherys and go to C/R only.Because its cheaper. This gives you so called purists the upper hand. Manage the resourse for a varity of intrests no only just for one special intrest. Here here on habitat enhancement. take the greed and power out of the fish and watch it flourish.

Hatcheries seem to be kind of a placebo deal. There used to be a ton of fish going to the upper sections of rivers-the Sauk Cascade etc.You cant messure the health of a river on it's hatchery returns and we shouldnt even have to. These rivers should be getting enough fish back to support some fishing of some kind--even some kill fisheries, fact is they are not, not even close.--Put a hatchery on them and then you could catch and kill hell you could net them and in the mean time extinguish the wild fish forever. Well without them in the ratio there would be less total numbers so guess all we would have to do is open another hatchery right? All I want is for the wild fish to have a shot man, I know hatcheries could be run so as to not affect wild fish as much. Yes i have run to the river at reiter at 6:00 in the morning and stood shoulder to shoulder at the Samish ditch and killed fish. Anymore to me this has very little to do with fishing (try taking a kid to these places and have him appreciate nature)Wanna kill fish? be my guest and go there have fun. Just remember before the hatcheries mother nature did a hell of alot better job of maintaining it's runs then we ever will>C

Chuck, I understand your concern about dewindeling native fish. At the same time we can't just stop doing the work that alot of us have done to help the steelhead. Basically it would be a slap in the face for all that have helped. We can't just do nothing and expect for everything to get better.

Who said do nothing? Or by doing something are you saying load the rivers with hatchery fish and try to hide problems?

[This message has been edited by Chuck (edited 08-30-1999).]