Here’s something you all should read. Even with the Chinook below the escapement floor the Tribes still get to net the Hoh.
http://www.olympicpeninsulafishing.com/hohnetting.htm

Not the first time this has happened ... some of you may remember seeing pix of me with a couple of other guys having a "fish-in" on the Hoh protesting the same deal for steelhead ... even bigger difference on that one though as the whole river was shut down to ALL fishing (no C&R), yet the tribe continued to net after the sport closure. I thought we were equals in conservation??

It is amazing at the double standard the state uses to make decisions. We need the state to stand up for our rights. But they seem to think it is ok to allow fishing by the tribe above the what the treaty allows. Are they afraid the river would be shut down if we didn't allow them to net?

I remember the closure and the tribes ability to continue netting. Absolute B.S.

Tight Lines



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Marty
Steelheader.net marty@steelheader.net

Hey Marty the State doesn't control the tribes the tribes control the tribes. Its called co-management, they each have there own biologist with there own little set of data that is used to justify each others very harvest driven management goals. The state likes to sell licenses the tribes like to sell fish and judges like to make rulings from on high that all of us need to learn so we can deal with this issue with some modicum of reason and intelligece.

sorry to say the hoh tribe doesnt call the shots, the state tells the hoh tribe when they can fish, where do you guys get your info. the local coffe shop. you guys need to go to the state and ask questions, who, where, what, and why?

Obiously the State dosent have a clue! We no this! You would think the tribes would get a clue that netting when escapement is low will be detrimental to the future fisheries. If they have there own Bio's then what the hell are they doing? Sitting in the same coffee shop I suppose? Bottom line: Its all about MONEY!!!! Just because the state says they can dosent mean they have to...if they really cared!

Bob D

Actually one of the bio's on the Hoh staff says the Hoh should be shut down period. If you would open your eyes out there and look at the gross degredation of the entire riparian zone you might think he has a point.
I personally drink coffe at home and get most of my information from folks who are privy to what is actually going on in the little meetings beetween the "Co Managers". The State makes there wishes known to the various tribes and then they have to agree to a management plan and fish accordingly.
They are considered equal by the court.
Regarding the Queets drainage it really gets confusing in that the two co-managers have differing views on adequate ecscapement goals and additional to that there is the Olympic National Park that may or may not have the ability to enter the disscusions in a meaningful way. But there bio is a little different than most, he actually used a gillnet to harvest approximately 30 of the endangered stocks that are now managed as a total C&R fishery in Lake Crescent, Gee nobodys perfect.

Solleks, This letter is from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. When the state told the Hoh Tribe the run was below escapement The Hoh tribe insisted on fishing. If this continues this river will have no more fish.

In 2000, the wild run of spring/summer chinook is predicted to be below the escapement floor of 900 fish. The WDFW did not agree with the original fishing proposal by the Tribe and argued that without an agreement, no fisheries could be allowed. The Tribe argued that they were entitled to some level of fishing as long as the run was not at a conservation level. The Tribe requested a Fisheries Advisory Board (FAB) hearing with the Court appointed chairman, Dr. Howard Horton. We met with the Tribe at the FAB and arrived at the fishery plan stated below, outside the FAB proceeding. Fishing opportunity in future years will depend on whether this run continues on a downward trend.

I just don't get it. If they are allowed 50% of the harvestable fish and the state says there aren't any harvestable fish then the should get 50% of zero which even though I only have a math minor still works out to 0 in my book. It seem pretty irresponsible in my book to take any fish in this situation. It sounds like the state was finally going to do the right thing and they got cut off at the knees by the tribes in this situation.

Stop the insanity!!!!

JJ

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Native Son,

Like your prespective, you seem to look at the situation out there in a realistic way.
I do not know much about what goes on between the State and Tribes and even less so about the Tribes themselves. Do you or anyone out there know if there is ever friction between tribes or factions of a tribe about to net or not to net. Are there peoples or factions that push for more conservation at times and other factions that demand more fishing. Is it the trible fathers that make a descision and do politics play a part, I believe that they get elected or do they solely leave it to the hired Bio?
It would be helpful to know how the system works.
Thanks.

Native Son, I'm confused on the last part of your last post. You seem to indicate that the Queets bio netted on lake Crescent. The Quinault tribe co-manages the Queets river. The Quinault bio (who is a tribal member) has never netted Lake Crescent and cannot legally. Did I read this wrong??

Potter, I tend to talk faster than I can type and I think just a little faster than I can talk, so sometimes when I finally get all the bloody keys punched the thought that is presented is only clear to me, xin loi,(sorry about that). The biologist I was refering to is one John Meyer of the ONP who it should seem to me be involved in the management of the Queets. I brought up his history re. lake Crescent as a point of introduction to the members of this BB. I guess his position should be involved just not him personaly as in he should be canned for what can only be considered a gross negligence.
Hope that clears it up for you.

Land tuna, Tip Oneil put it best when he said "all politics is local", you cant get much more local than a small reservation. Tribal elections are advertised in the local newspapers and tribal politicians take out campaign adds in those same papers. Can you imagine a politician running a campaign with a strategy of curtailing jobs or how about an inner puget sound tribal canidate running on a platform that had the Makah's out at Neah Bay intercepting all the in bound salmon at Cape Flattery in a Ocean Troll fishery or a beach set gillnet fishery. They dont like to air all the squables in public but politics is the same for the indigenous folks of these parts as it is for everyone.
And as for the paid Bio making the decision he probably (certainly) took the job after having it explained to him that the entity he or she was going to work for had a "Harvest Mandate", which will in some cases lead to reduced goals for escapement, but hey its a job and most of the fellows are trying to do the best they can. After all I have yet to run into a bio. that is responsible for any of the damage to the riparian zones and I still see that as the number one reason we are all grousing about not enough fish to go around.

Thanks Native Son.
Ya politics are politics and having grown up in Tippers neighborhood I know what you mean.
Guess where I'm going in asking about the politic thing is if all groups, sport, commercial and Native Americans if there will be people of importance in each of these groups that would be willing to come together with understanding of each groups needs and unify or solidify as one group for the sole reason of saving wild fish.