Superfly, I would caution who you get in bed with.

I am first and formost a sportsangler, but I see just as many problems with tribes than I do with non-tribal commercials.

For instance:

Non-Tribal netters are controlled by the ODFW and WDFW, the same folks that set our seasons and limits. The allocation we receive is split with the non-tribal commercials. WDFW can tell the commercials to stop fishing, or use tangle nets or release sturgeon or whatever. But the tribes are not governed by any state jurisdiction and practice some pretty disturbing fishing techniques.

Tribes will strip Chum salmon for their eggs and discarding the remaining carcuss.

Tribes also refuse to accept modern science established by biologists. Much of what they believe is based on a 1000 year old culture and not science.

They refuse to use non lethal methods of releasing salmon, because of something about disrespecting the salmon by not eating it. Tribes believe all salmon are provided to be eaten without regards to specific strains that need protectsion.

The spring salmon season was set very low because so much of the "incidental take mortality" on ESA fish had to be allocated to tribes, because they refuse to release fish. If they had agreed to fish selectively, there would be no reason to close the season for sportsanglers.

Over the past few years, sportanglers have taken it in the shorts, because the other two groups wouldn't fish selectively.

Tribes are already trying to limit the non-tribal commercial fishing by strong arming the states into putting more Coho hatchery's above Bonneville dam. This would allow greater access to them during the fall tribal net season.

Once they get rid of the non-tribal commercials, they would mostly likely get the lions share of the non-tribal commercial allocation. You would be kidding yourself to think they don't want that share of the pie.

Who do you think the tribes would come after next????

I truly believe all three groups want more salmon, but I want greater access for sportsanglers. I would never defend a gillnetter, but that includes tribes and non tribal commercials.