Quote: "I've got to agree with grandpa and his idea of legalizing statewide gambling,- no racism involved, and hitting them where it hurts- their wallets. "

I disagree with using the "casino factor" as way of hurting the Tribes. If the Indian Casino's start losing money and laying off Tribal members, many of those Tribal members, who are ex-net fishermen, will return to their formal jobs of netting fish, do you really want this? confused

I've worked for NMFS as an observer on Tribal and non-tribal net boats during the San Juan sockeye fishery many years ago. The number one thing these fishers were paranoid about was the observer bringing a camera on their boats. Cameras were outright band and they would check your gear before you got on the boat. They knew that photos of birds, seals, and other sea life caught dead in their nets, and if those photos/videos made it to the evening news would be the beginning of the end.

We all saw what the bootleg "Dolphin Video" did to the Tuna industry ten years ago. hello

Public education on what nets really do to the sea life in Puget Sound and our rivers may be the place to start.

BD
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Bobber Down

"It makes no sense to regulate salmon habitat on land while allowing thousands of yards of gill nets to be stretched across salmon habitat in the water"

John Carlson, Gubernatorial Contender, Sept. 2000 speech at the Ballard Locks