A good thread. A couple Saturdays of focused protest at a popular place like Pike Place Market, that is direct but peaceful, and they might stop selling steelhead. Negative publicity works against them. Now, if you do this, and want to really f@#k it up, just toss in a few negative comments about Indian fishing. Then you lose; they win. In the Seattle area it is that simple. The majority of the population is very supportive of Indians and their treaty rights whether you believe it or not. The protest can only succeed if it is about steelhead and not who catches them or how.

The result of an effective protest, of course, won't stop the commercial netting. The fish wholesalers will just ship all of the commercially caught steelhead to the midwest or other markets.

In my opinion, the best idea in this thread is the one that deals with the Indians directly. I admit that I don't know exactly how to make it happen, but a more positive relationship with tribes would probably be an essential first step. If they are earning $0.70 a pound to catch steelhead, sound business practice wouldn't just scoff at an offer of $1.25 a pound to leave the fish in the river.

Tribal fishing economies are an obstacle to an easy solution, but that doesn't mean there is no solution. I think the key is to develop the pathway that directs the money to the individuals who would be foregoing direct fishing income. Even that shouldn't take rocket science. Each tribe has records indicating who fishes and how much they catch. Shouldn't be to hard to calculate an estimate of foregone catch by individuals.

A deal like this should be packaged to make it attractive to a tribe. That might be achieved by applying it to commercial catch only. Encourage the tribe to take its ceremonial and subsistance catch - verified, of course. Make it a fairly simple business proposition that results in higher fishing income than netting and selling steelhead provides. Indian fishing is about culture and tradition. Commercial fishing is about those and money. Respect both and perhaps a deal can be struck.

Oh, money. Where do we get the money. Two sources come to mind. A % of what we spend on hatchery steelhead could be diverted to a contract for this purpose (think advance planning). Another possibility: say we, via the state WDFW, have a contract with the xyz tribe. Would you be interested in buying a $30 or $50 or $75 special river permit to fish the xyz river? At this point it's just math, unless there is no market in this region for such a fishery. I'd bet there is.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.