Steeli Dave -

The natives run the Coho hatchery that comes back into the Elliot bay .
I , once thought that this fishery was owned and runed by the Tax payers but it is actually set up by the tribal fisheries.
I don't like all the netting they did last year in elliot bay but even with the nets it was pretty good. lot of the hatchery Coho's died in the saltwater in november just washing up on the beach and crab bait. They have no river to spawn and alot of them were spawning in the salt.

I want to know where you were commercial fishing in Alaska , where non-natives had just as much rights as Natives when it came to commercial fishing? It may look like it but it is not the case. I find this hard to believe since I am in the industry (no longer on the boats but in the industry) , and has not been the case for the last 10 years. The natives have most of the boats comming from seattle in a headlock.

On a positive outlook.
As some of you may know that Sockeye prices were deeply affected this year for the the commercial fishermen. Average going for reds $0.40 cents a pound.

The reason for this drop was that the Japanese deceided not to buy Alaskan Sockeye and chums, (later on this seasonfor the Chums) this year , or very little.
Rather the Japenese who buy majority of commercial fish decedied to buy the Farm raised Salmon from Chli.
Whith this news a lot of guys are in finacial trouble and are forced to sell there gear and in some cases their permit.
But not the natives, majority of them will continue to fish regardless of the price.

Everybody on this board is wanting to ban nets, and this is one way of slowing down the nets. Buy the farm fish, and if you have the money buy the the permit for some of the S.E. alaska , because these permits are no longer issued (in sone zones and species) and a lot of them are grand fathered in. Destroy or not use the permit and it is one less net in the water.

[ 08-17-2001: Message edited by: Aerofly ]