I agree with this. Not only does it give a little more time to organize people, but we will probably also have a better idea of what the test fisheries have shown in terms of abundance (and whether further tribal fisheries are planned to take place).

I think you'll get a lot more participation if it's *clear* that there are enough fish coming back to support a fishery and that the tribes are proceeding on that basis.

I suppose the drawback is that it leaves less time for WDFW to do anything in terms of opening up a Puget Sound fishery while there are still fish out there.

Count me in regardless of the weekend !!

--OR—

We could do our own Coho test fishery at the Tulalip Bubble for those that fish in this area. It is open for hatchery Chinook on those weekends.

my thoughts are we need to stay fairly close together so we are seen as a whole group.. Shipwreck to maybe West Point depending on participation !! How about a registration forum of some sort here on the board ?? my computer skills are sub par to say the least !! would somebody like to take on that task??

So I guess I need to get caught up. Were the tribes supposed to be conducting "test" fisheries?

Then to add insult to injury, sell them back to the folks that share in the funding them in the first place?






Am I late to the program? Sorry been gone so long...

As a side note, I go over this bridge every day and fish are rolling everywhere but I suppose they all need to be saved for tribal "testing".

Others probably know better than I do (SkyGuy?), but my understanding is that several tribes have conducted or intend to conduct test fisheries (including in the Sound) to see how many coho are coming back. Tribes have actually begun commercial netting at the locks and on the Duwamish based on a determination that there is a harvestable surplus of coho.

As far as the locks go, since WDFW opened Lake Washington to coho (starting the 16th), you can argue that the goose and the gander are getting the same treatment on that particular stock.

I don't think there's any such argument to be made for the Duwamish unless/until they open it up to sporties.

The Duwamish fishery is not a test fishery, it is a straight up commercial fishery. The Muckleshoots have determined that there are enough fish for them to net and sell, so they are netting and selling.

Fish on...

Todd

Fixed for ya.

Just spoke with a buddy that said his local Costco is nice and stocked up with Coho too. Guess I can't prove where they came from though.

Over 5x the 10 year average over the Ballard Locks. Already over 2x over the total pre-season forecast. I wonder how the rivers are doing?

Today, the Suquamish announced a commercial fishery which extends from West point to Meadow point. I have emailed Ron Warren and Ryan Lothrop and asked if the Puyallup stocks are the stock which are said to be limiting recreational fishing from an emergency opening on coho, why can they net both Elliott bay and SHilshole bay with Gill nets???

Earlier this week I asked if Rec's could get an opener on Shilshole and Elliot bay for coho since the test fishery numbers have been so high. I was told that we could not because of Puyallup Chinook impacts, yet now the tribes are netting in those same areas.

hmmm.

Well, I just sent this off to WDFW and my state reps and senator, and cc'd some news organizations. We'll see if I get any response. Feel free to use it if you'd like.

Dear Public Officials,

It is September, the time of year when salmon return to Washington waters. Nevertheless, as many of you know (and all of you should know), almost all of Puget Sound and the surrounding watersheds are closed to fishing for coho salmon. In fact, most areas are closed to all salmon fishing.

This is because the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and tribal biologists predicted a low return of coho salmon, and agreed to restrict fishing to protect coho runs. Unfortunately, now that returning coho salmon have passed Neah Bay, Port Angeles, and all of North Puget Sound without any sport or non-tribal fishing pressure, the Muckleshoot tribe has strung nets across the Duwamish river to catch and kill the returning coho. This is not ceremonial and subsistence fishing; it is commercial. Killing fish for money. The Muckleshoot tribe has decided to do this based on its independent determination that there is a "harvestable surplus" of coho. Of course, the Duwamish remains closed to everyone else, in accordance with the conservation-minded approach that WDFW agreed to earlier in the year.

In other words, everybody else in Washington let Duwamish coho pass by without fishing pressure in order to conserve the resource, only for Muckleshoot fishermen to catch them, kill them, and sell them at the end of their migration. I fear that other treaty tribes may soon follow the Muckleshoot's lead with other coho stocks. There is already commercial netting taking place in front of the Ballard Locks, but at least in that case WDFW has agreed that there is a harvestable surplus of coho, and has opened Lake Washington to non-tribal, recreational coho fishing starting September 16 based on that assessment.

It seems to me that there are two potential scenarios and responses that balance conservation goals and treaty fishing rights for any particular coho run. The first is that, as previously predicted, the coho return is not healthy enough this year, there is no harvestable surplus of coho, and nobody should be fishing for coho. The second is that biologists underestimated the coho return, there is a harvestable surplus of coho, and the surplus should be split evenly between tribal and non-tribal fishermen (as called for in the applicable treaties).

The current scenario, in which tribal fishermen are either (a) killing fish when there is no surplus, or (b) taking 100% of the harvestable surplus, represents the interests of the very few overwhelming the interests of the very many.

So, my question is whether you, the public officials of Washington, intend to do anything about this, and what that may be.

A direct response would be greatly appreciated.

While 10's of thousands of us are beached for coho, the Suquamish have extended their seasons "until further notice" on Coho in Shilshole bay. I expect the Mukelshoots to extend their seasons too.
This was up in front of Shilshole toay, kind of a stick in the eye for all of us who traditionally fish for coho from this port.

This is infuriating. Was there no mechanism for a mid-season rec opening in the agreement reached earlier this year?

There was no mechanism for opening most of that at all.

I seem to recall Lorraine Loomis stating something like "the tribes have decided to not fish for coho this year so the sporties shouldn't either, you know, for conservation"...or something like that.

I think it's pretty clear who has the forked tongue here.

Fish on...

Todd

P.S. Lorraine Loomis is the Chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, and a Swinomish tribal member.

In discussing the poor coho returns in 2015, and the upcoming 2016 seasons...

"That’s why western Washington treaty
Indian tribes are calling for greater caution
in fisheries management planning
this year and sharing the responsibility
of conservation more equitably with the
state."

http://nwifc.org/w/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2016/04/Spring-2016-Magazine-2.pdf

Yeah, close all the sportfishing and non-tribal commercial fishing for the entirety of Puget Sound, then the tribes unilaterally decide to have fisheries all over Puget Sound.

Sure sounds like "sharing" and "equitably with the state" to me.

The tribes flat out lied, and that's why were are not fishing while they do, and Lorraine Loomis lied straight up to all of us.

Fish on...

Todd

Honestly, I don't necessarily fault the tribes all that much for wanting to fish if we are really seeing a lot more fish than projected, but it is flat out unfair (and a violation of OUR treaty rights) to shut out the non-tribal fishermen from the harvest.

I know I feel violated. They should give a jar of vasoline with every fishing license.

I don't fault them for wanting to fish, either...but going right ahead and deciding to do it after not only agreeing to not, but to make a big deal about how they weren't, is bullschit.

Fish on...

Todd