Thanks for the insight Salmo. ...

As for you New Zealot, I feel compelled to quote your initial post in this discussion thread about an important news release: "You guys are a bunch of clowns. I can't believe how stupid you are." ... To open your part of this discussion with that phrase demonstrates both your questionable intellect and poor disposition. And while some of our posts may appear, or in some cases actually be, a one sided view only, your's is certainly that without question. Let me show one example ...

You mention only how much the Indians have done to restore runs to the Yakima and Umatilla rivers. What you didn't mention is that it has been done with our money and developed technology. Jed Volkman is the non-Indian trained fish biologist in charge of much of the Umatilla salmon and steelhead hatchery. It's a similar situation with the Yaks. ... You also failed to see the other side of this equation. Those same 2 Tribes belong to the Columbia Region Intertribal Fish Commission. The Yaks are among the most powerfully represented by this Commission. They threatened frivilous and unethical (amounting to blackmail) federal lawsuits to get some of the Snake River dams removed. In light of the utterly unfair Fed. Judge Belloni to allocate 50% of the harvestable COlumbia fish to the Tribes (as Fed. Judge Boldt did in the cases of NW Washington Tribes), the Fed's cowered to the Commissions demands that they get 6 1/2 times the allocation of Col. chinook salmon of non-Indians (commercial and sportfishers combined) because of being concerned of the outside chance of another disasterous decision in favor of the Tribes. And the Tribal Commission pushed for and got an increase of Fed. ESA (Endangered Species Act) impact on wild chinook salmon from 9% last year to 15% this year!!! Totally unfair and actually illegal by Fedreal Court decree. The Tribes are gillnetting and killing wild fish at an improper rate; and getting away with it. Also, the Col. Indian gilnetters have refused to go along with WDFW & ODFW urging to switch to the new tooth tangle nets that allow wild native fish to be released - unlike the certain wild fish killing gillnets! They have also now made an official request (request for them = demanding via another threatened unethical lawsuit) for the clipping of all hatchery Columbia chinook salmon to be stopped! These 2 major things will not allow for the selective harvest of hatchery fish, and the continued killing off of wild ESA salmon. Now with these FACTS in mind NZ, what do you have to say about such as the Yak and Uma hatcheries?!? ...

A person (you NZ) that comes in namecalling right out of the gate, and talks smack about things he doesn't know &/or not want to reveal in attempting to make a point is just LAME! ... Then you have the audacity to calls all of us Indian haters. Most here don't hate Indians - we hate the wrongful things they do to wild fish and to sportfishermen! ...

Now go back and re-read my initial first post statement to be discussed within this thread. -

'I find this [see above signed agreement] very interesting in light of historical Tribal damnation of Columbia R. watershed dams. The Yakima Tribe is one of the more powerful among the Columbia Tribal Commission, which have been documented as using the non-Indian built dams as their trump card in negotiations to get unfair and illegally higher fish allocations than Treaties and Federals Courts have mandated. Now the Yaks have "signed" a hypocritical agreement! This proves money is much more important than native fish runs to them - which has already been demonstratred via other actions'. ... I will also add that they have demonstarted time and again in the Columbia region and NW Washington region total disregard and disrespect of white sportfishermen - even 'in your face' disdain! Many of them are the ones with most of the "hatred" within. - RT