Perhaps there is a middle road approach to the Quinault mix of commercial and recreational fishing. Boycotting the sport fishery would lend credence to tribal forces that favor the tradition (of recent memory) of net fishing. The number of Quinault guides has increased as members perceive a greater demand for the service.

Board members here have suggested boycotting the purchase of net-caught fish as a way of reducing the market incentive for net fishing. Observed results here in the NW show that reduced market opportunity has led to reductions in net fishing because it wasn't profitable. This is still the best way to reduce river gill-netting.

How would boycotting the recreational fishing guides persuade tribal members that net fishing is a bad idea? It will simply persuade them that sport guiding is a poor market, and fewer of them will bother to offer the service.

Market forces that favor sport fishing and disfavor commercial fishing are the surest ways of increasing the one and reducing the other. Also, the Quinault guides probably don't have a direct say in the matter of how the fishery is managed. My guess is that tribal managers are pressured to respond to interests (just like WDFW). They have commercial and recreational interests to respond to, and probably have to carve up the harvest pie to meet those competing needs.

When there were fewer recreational fishing guides on the Quinault, it seemed like sport fishing was just a by-product of over-all fish management - just like WDFW usually managed salmon fishing in our rivers. There was no specific allocation of salmon to the in-river sport fishery. My further guess is that the best way to reduce net-fishing on the Quinault is for even more anglers to book trips with Quinault guides. As the recreational fishery becomes more lucrative, the sport-fishing interest will be a more significant force in tribal fish management decisions. Except for subsistence fishing for cultural purposes - that will likely always have the Tribe's highest priority.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.