Of course they can. And we can justifiably criticize them for it. The members of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe live and work among the rest of us. If they want to view/treat non-MIT sportfisherman as the enemy to be screwed if they can get away with it, then they can suffer the enmity of everyone who thinks that's not a particularly nice way to act.

You are 100% right that we should get an answer from WDFW as to why they would agree to a "no potential rec opening" provision, but I don't think that absolves the MIT from any criticism if they are the ones that pushed for it.

There was a lot of talk last year about the broken NOF process and WDFW submitting for their own permit. Talk of that died down once an agreement was reached.
From what I recall, NOAA said it would take 12-18 months to issue a permit. Seemed like a long time when they pretty much rubber stamp the NOF agreement.
Of course the season would have been over by the time had a permit was issued.
NOAA also kept stating that it was in the best interest of the state to come to an agreement with the tribes.

Is the option for the state to get their own permit still an option? If so, if hope they have been working on it for the 2017 season since last spring.
Just looking for input from those that know more about this process then I do.
Feel free to correct anything I may have stated above as well, as that is what I recall from earlier this year.
Thanks
SF

One thing that we can do right now is to respond to Fishinnut's post and send letters and emails regarding the Skokomish situation. United we stand divided we fall.

Here is Ron Warren's interview on NW Wild Country on Sept. 9. At about 14:30 he seems to indicate that the Duwamish could potentially open for rec fishing, but that they are concerned about Chinook impacts.

http://sportsradiokjr.iheart.com/media/play/27302067/

there was some tribal guy on a post on Facebook saying his dad was a tribal fisher and that the WDFW is "waiting till the last minute", and the Green will open this weekend...

not sure if its true, a troll, or what, but id like to know how tribal fishers know more about our seasons than we do....

Hindsight is 20:20, but if you asked me, I would have preferred no PS king MSF in MA 9/10 in exchange for a crack at in in season adjusted coho fishery... the state [Bleeeeep!] up.

I've been reading these posts on the coho closures and it's depressing.

Looking ahead to 2017-2019, will the 2016 coho closure become the "new normal" due to this year's precedent setting win by the tribes? Would our government dictate no coho in 2017 and tell the sporties fish pinks instead?

When the coho return (hopefully) from the poor run last year I don't see how the returns will be forecast to be good. So what does this all say for coho fishing in the North Sound for the next few years?

http://nwsportsmanmag.com/editors-blog/section-lower-duwamish-green-open-coho/

Duwi should open tomorrow

So WDFW is going to open a fishery in the Green River even though it wasn't shown in the List of Agreed Fisheries. Dirty, stinking, lying so and so's. I am outraged and might possibly have a protest fishery someplace.

So it looks like WDFW is using an in-season update that shows more fish than thought to be returning to provide fisheries for their constituents. Sorta like some of the tribes have. But when it was the tribes the comments were "business as usual," "two sets of rules," "tribes don't GAF about conservation," "sad state of affairs," "protest fishery," 2nd class citizens," "fish-in," letters to state reps and senators," jar of Vaseline" & "incestuous relationship with the tribes" to pick a few.

This board is populated with a bunch of whiners.

Pretty much fawked in a nut shell.

OncyT, I think your comments in this thread have been very valuable, but I think you're mischaracterizing a lot (though maybe not all) of the comments.

WDFW and the Muckleshoots have now agreed on what most of the people in this thread though should be the case: either no fishing or both sides fishing. Now that they have gotten around to that, it doesn't make protesting against the prior situation somehow wrong.

What a bureaucratic mess. What about the fish? Are they going to be ok? Does anyone actually have any test fishery numbers?

Imagine people whining about paying to fish and then not being able to because the organization that is supposed to represent them has failed in every way shape and form.

It's almost like they expect WDFW to be something other than completely incompetent and an utter failure.

Go figure.

According to the NW Wild Country interview with Ron Garner, the Muckleshoots weren't going to fish unless the test fishery indicated at least 20,000 coho coming back to the Duwamish/Green. It looks like the results of the test fishery indicate more than that. I don't know about hatchery/wild split.

where did you get test fishery numbers? please post.

Snohomish may be opening next week...

still no word on the Puyallup, and they havent updated their hotline since the first, still....

the WDFW also didnt release the escapement reports, why?

So, it seems like WDFW opens a pittance of fishing and we are wetting ourselves to get scrapes from the table of our masters!

Mean while, we lose, and lose and lose...

The tribes are masters of taking a mountain one pebble at a time. WDFW is just giving them front loaders now.

But be happy, you get to fish the Tulalip bubble for four days!!

What a stupid fu.cking thing to say. I'm not surprised that someone that's involved up to their eyeballs in this clusterfu.ck is advocating for half the user group to shut up and quit whining. I'm sure you had the balls to tell the flat nosed fish eaters the same thing....quit whining. You cashed your state check for the last 30 years while taking us to where we are today. Only a government worker could continue to get paid while fu.cking up the resource they're charged with protecting. Your previous posts indicate you're likely moonlighting for the Indians, did they encourage you to silence us?

Now GFY.

I knew I liked you, RowVsWade. Keep up the good work.