There is an article in today's Seattle Times web-site about the commercial harvest of chum salmon. It appears that the entire fish is utilized. Is this article biased? Maybe. But, nevertheless, why can't the Skokomish Indians use the entire fish or at least conserve the resource? At least they could release male chums out of the net and only take females. But, instead, they gaff every fish out of the net, males go directly back into the water (with a hole in them) and females go to the gutting station. It would take just a little extra effort here to return half of these fish. They would have to grab each one by the tail or invent a little noose to grab them with.

That would eliminate half the rotting cadavers I step on when I go there and that would make me happy!!!