Regarding the taking of eggs from chum salmon and leaving the carcases, I too have some photos and actually discussed the practice with a couple of Skokomish lads who were operating a beach seine just north of Hoodsport. They were carefully selecting the hens which were tossed into their boat and releasing the bucks. When I asked them about selling the fish they informed me of how the situation works for chums.
The tribes can seel chum salmon eggs to buyers who in turn sell them to the Japanese market where they bring in pretty fair money. This is the easy part of chum fishing for the Skokomish.
The cleaned fish can then be sold to a local buyer for 25-cents each. Yes! 25-cents. That is if the buyer shows up, according to the guys I talked to. If the buyer does not show up to buy the chums (for use in the prison system)they are simply discarded. The young guys I spoke with took the carcases out to the middle of Hood Canal to dump them. Others just toss them onto the beach. Either way it is a waste. I believe that the hatchery chum runs are with us almost totally to support the tribal and commercial fishery. After all, they aren't really all that good by the time we get a hook into them. This is just another case of non-accountability by the Tribes, WDF&W and I don't know who else. That is the story however.
Les Johnson