A short story...One time years ago when I had my boat in Lake Union moorage I would travel in and out of the locks at all hours. One night we came back real late and after traveling through the locks into the ship canal we encountered a gill net strung all the way across the narrowest part of the canal. I called the coast guard and they said that the indians had a right to fish at their usual and accustomed fishing grounds.....on the man made canal. Anyway I had to turn around and spend the night in the boat. When the light of day came up the net was gone....To the average man on the street there are no nets in the water.

Remember when they were netting in the daytime? Especially in Elliot Bay....WOW what an outcry from non fishers when they see nets in the water. The tribes have learned alot since the Las Vegas subcontrctors came to town to run their casinos. They learned about being poiltically correct and how to smear the politicians. No more nets in daylight.

Recently the Skokomish tribe on the canal was busted for declaring less fish in their total catch report than the test sampling total. Apparently this happens all the time.

This is not about depriving the tribes of their share but making sure the share is fair. I submit it isn't possible to be fair unless their is accountability on both sides. I think it is possible for the sports fishers to work with the tribes and I hope to see that day come soon but until then I will continue to criticize when I see inequities.

The Boldt decision started our fisheries down a road to disaster. Then came the Rafeedie decision in the 80s allowing the tribes to harvest 50% of all shellfish....If you think salmon accountability is a problem you should do your homework on the shellfish disaster. Those of you asleep at the wheel should wake up and look into what is happening to your natural resources....check out the geoduck problem sometime. Do a google search and do some reading about how that prized clam is being exploited. All at the taxpayers expense and at the peril of the sprts fishers. You get shorter and shorter seasons but the nets carry on as always and then some. You bet I'm concerned and will continue to speak out and work for better times.