Not only a little lube Joe, but maybe at least a reach around now and then would be nice. But we won't get that. I have been involved in the Indian netting fishing issues for quite a while now. I used to be optimistic and tried to be understanding about their positions, and work toward a fairer solution. What I have found though, particularly concerning the Columbia Tribes, is that they simply are not interested what-so-ever in fishing rights or benefit for sportsfishermen. Any benefit we derive from their self-serving efforts is a by product of them pushing every button they can and beyond, ethical or not, to get as much fish as they can - including devious Gov. arm twisting to get an unfair allocation of fish than they are legally entitled to. And way more than the non-Indians are getting, despite Treaty and Federal Court review decisions that counter-indicate this by law! And despite the Gov. given right to run so many heavy electricity using (from the dams they have damned - and that my ancestors had nothing to do with) gambling casinos, that are hugely profitable and were earmarked as partial compensation for lost fishing income potential from dam fish losses. ...

Furthermore, since extensive Canadian use and American testing of the newer 'tooth tangle' nets have been very successful for both harvest and release of wild fish not killed quickly (as the mono gillnets do), the non-Indian commercial fishermen will henceforth have to go to using them to help save the wild runs of fish - and their jobs. The Tribes of Washington and Oregon were asked (urged?) by the states to go to these more selective nets also - but they ALL rejected that idea, likely because they have to attend the nets more regularly instead of letting them sit until they come back around and likely because they want to harvest native fish. ...

Furthermore, the Tribes are attempting unethical legal armtwisting again to get the feds to stop the states from finclipping hatchery fish!!! Why? So the sportsfishers don't get short seasons such as on the Columbia springers this year - while they keep mono gillnetting fish, including the wild ones. Why don't they care about killing off wild fish? Strong credible speculation has arisen that it's because if the wild runs are netted into extinction the Tribes will get a HUGE monetary Gov. payoff in compensation because the dams (that they use too) will have been more responsible than their gillnets. And in addition to a huge payoff, they will get big hatchery program fish to keep netting and selling half stale out of the back of pickup trucks - and at places such as Pike Place Market. Ugly! ...

Joe is right about this situation. We are getting it up the ass over this crap and the Government doesn't have the sense or balls to get it right! I have tried for 2 years to get sportfishers to get into writing campaigns to state and federal reps to rectify this albatros. Only a few repsond, then whine when we get 'rectalfied' instead of rectified. Those of us who have tried hard to acheive fairness deserve at least a cork to protect our backsides!

Geeeeeeeeeeeez! Please excuse the harshness of exposing some of the reality here.

RT