Coho......

The Columbia Triabl fishermen do most of their spring and fall fishing with gillnets, and only supplement with cerimonial dipnetting. These gillnets kill all the natives that get tangled and semi-rot until they are pulled in. Since, as the states lawsuits validly argue, the Indians should be entitled to a 50% share thus 4% ESA impact on next spring's run, that would mean that they should be stopped at about a 12,000 fish harvest (unless it's verified the run will be significantly larger than 300,000 fish). I have more than a little hunch that they won't be stopped where they are supposed to be by the NMFS! I don't mind at all the Indians getting their proper allotment of fish, as long as their gilnetting is stopped at the proper time and then only allowed keeping dipnetted hatchery fish (releasing the nates dipped), or by hook and line like the rest of us so that they can release non-clipped native fish! What I do mind is us sportfishers not getting anywhere near a fair share last year and the ongoing attempts by the NMFS and Col. Tribal Comm.(who has the Fed.s by the balls) to not allow us a fair share again! Despite the valid arguments presented here and in the states pending lawsuits against the "Unfair Pair". I am optimistic of getting a better season next spring with such a vast number of springers coming, but I am not optimistic that it will be anywhere near fair. UNLESS us sportfishers start right now to write our state reps and Congressmen, and the lawsuit is effective during current negotiations, we will likely be given a pittance fraction of what we deserve next spring. We deserve a long awaited BIG PAYBACK! BTW, we aren't butting heads with the states of Wash. and Ore.'s dept.'s of fisheries; it is the NMFS and their Wash. D.C. string pullers, and the Col. Tribal Comm., that have caused us to need to butt heads. Let's get after it!

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Know fish or no fish. - RT


[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 10-13-2000).]