The Olympic National Park has closed the Queets to wild fish harvest effective March 5th. They sight the lowest run since 1995 as the reason. I am confident that as far as escapment is concerned they are being optomistic in there level of caution.

Hopefully that means the Quinalts will stop the netting of the lower river. Does it?

Knew it was coming, could have told you so, just didnt know which river it would be. I suppose it should be shut down now ( catch and release is not a good management tool ) isnt that what some guide over there said? Its March 1st here and our rivers are shut down. Some people dont know when they have it good.

it is the lowest returns since 95 because of the low water and how effective gill netting is when the conditions are as such.
It is to bad that the indians still continue to net when they know they are catching native fish. They should stop as well, but will they , I doubt it. It is kind of sick that this still goes on.
Peace Superfly

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I will have to agree with super on his post.
Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I agree, guys. The tribes crank out a ton of hatchery fish early in the season on the Queets. Why this isn't sufficient baffles me. With the low water, they're getting all the natives and I would love it if they stopped now that ONP has established C&R regs on their part of the river. Smart move, I'll enjoy fishing up there without all the catch and kill idiots. The feds definately have the state one-upped with their use of management on this occasion.

While I doubt the Quinaults will stop / reduce netting (Potter, any insight??), it would be nice in light of the poor upstream returns (Indians seem to be doing okay in most areas), I give a big thumbs up to the NPS for stepping in and trying to protect the fish.

On the other hand, doesn't this seem a little odd when the Park Service (last year?) relaxed regs because there were "too many fish"? Problems never cease when we try to outsmart Mother Nature!

I think some of the problem stems from the fact that they can't predict return numbers any more reliably than they can predict the long-term weather. Are you liking this "colder and wetter than normal" winter we're having?

Too many fish, huh? Isn't that like "too much beer", or "too many hot women"? I don't understand.........

Fish on...........

Actually as one who has been in constant contact with the principals involved I can share with you the view that the reluctance to act has sprung from a fear of the doctorine of "Foregone Oppurtunity"! Personally I look upon it as the ultimate cop out, and applaud the park services efforts. I am encouraging like minded individuals to Email the superintendent of Olympic National Park Dave Morris at david_morris@nps.gov to lend a note of approval and to call for making the policy permanet.

Ok, great dialogue.
Bottom Line.
Is the tribe halting netting operations as well???
BS talks and .... When is this gonna become equilateral? The pendulum has swung so far to the left in this state it makes the peoples republik of kalifornia look like a bunch of schoolkids.
Our natural resources are our most important heritage and legacy. They are not a right!!!!
If the tribe doesnt stop their netting, right along with the nontribal fishery, I'm up for a haybale party.
Anyone with me??

Native Son,
I tried to send Dave Morris a line but that address didn't work for me. It could be that I'm a computer dufus. But let me know if that is the right e-mail for him.
Thanks!

That is the Email address that I was given for the superintendent by the Park switchboard operator today. I have not received a bounceback as of yet. I will double check in the AM

If the netting doesn't stop then the media should be involved. It would be a great news story to have the indians netting fish that the park service is trying to save.

Head Hunter
If I can ever make it home you can count me in

Gee the indians stop netting
Wouldnt that be like HELL freezing over
Its their right to net RIGHT even if it means killing off the entire poplulation of wild fish. give me a break
Yum native steelie and it only cost $1.25 per pound

Here is some info for all you fisherpeople
did you know that the tribes get more money from the govenment when there are less fish in then river then when there are more

Sounds kinda fishy to me
if the gov't is going to give them more money if there are less fish then why would they stop netting the rivers

well i will stop now

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work is for people who dont know how to fish

Bob, A week ago I was told 2 days /week. Sun. to Tue. I have not heard one way or the other on any in-season changes yet.

so all of you are gonna stop fishing the queets if the indians stop netting, no catch and release? i don't think so. the queets is netted only 2-3 days a week and once the springers show up they are cut off until fall. the quinault indian nation puts in alot of money to the queets-clearwater river systems and don't take that much out of it. have any of you gone up there and fished coho in the fall? the tribe cuts their fishery to allow all of the wild stock coho to return to spawn leaving a huge surplus of salmon river coho to be caught by all fishermen upstream. the quinaults self-regulate their own fishery so they make their own decisions.period.

All Steelhead including hatchery must be released on this closure.

Klahowya Blueback, have you ever considered what might happen to the population of steelhead in the Quinault district if the escapement numbers were reduced? This is not an assinine question on my part but one that was broached by an official of a Costal Native fishing organization when asked about the low returns this year. The gist of the comment was that if the habitat had been comprimised so adversly that the carrying capacity of the Queets was so reduced then the harvest should be increased to insure that there is no over escapment under MSY.
I'm sure that you don't beleive in this crap anymore than I or anyone else on this board does but under MSY that is a Viable Scenario. The comment though unofficial was real!

Would someone please point me to some information on the closure? Thanks.

If all the hatcheries dumped as many fish as the quinaults do into their river systems and the tribes self reg. them selfs like the quinaults do. then we would not have a problem right?
555,000 plus steelhead are dumped into the Quinault ever year just think of what it would be like if all rivers systems had a stock program like that.
About the nets. In a 2-3 day span of netting how many fish are taken from the river?
Probably about double to triple what all the guides take out in a week. Is that a even 50/50 split I think not.
Is the gov't plotting against us sport fisherman with the indians
One more little bitbefore I wuit rambling the native americans are aloud to take fish any way they want. So next time you see an indian snaggin salmon with a treble hook and #80lb dacron line remember its all legal and the only way there is going to be change is if we make it happen.


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work is for people who dont know how to fish

Dances,

You said in your post on March 2 that Indians get more money from the government when there are fewer fish than when there are more fish in the river. Would you mind backing up that statement? What is your source for that information?

I ask only because I've been involved in fish conservation and the fishing industry and business for well over 25 years, and I've never heard of such a government program that does this. I know several treaty Indian fishermen who would really be interested in getting some of that money if such a program exists, since salmon runs are really low in their rivers lately.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Salmo
No problem
I am not saying that all tribes get it but the skokomish indian tribe gets more money if there are less fish in the river because they say that can't make enought money to survive thats all.

Any insight from you if I am wrong would be much appricated

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work is for people who dont know how to fish

Dances,
(in response to your 3/4 post)
If everyone dumped half a million hatchery smolts into every river in the northwest, we'd all be screwed. It's an overtly simplistic view that dumping hatchery clones to supplement wild native fish populations works. It feels good and generates jobs, but actually harms the native populations by reducing available habitat, inter-spawning and diluting crucial native genes with Chambers Creek strain junk. If all the hatcheries were closed, and resources diverted to broodstock programs that'd be a start. Going to universal wild fish release and perhaps mandatory hatchery fish bonking would be a good continuation. It's doubtful we can change tribal fishing practices, all we can do is optimize the bed we've made for ourselves.

Fishbadger, you and I are in agreement on this issue. It's amazing how so many of us are ignorant of the merits of wild fish. Sad sad sad, because we need their voice to change things.

Fishbadger
I appolojies I did not specify about hatchery fish. what I ment was broodstock fish. but I did not mean over populate the rivers with hatchery fish. I personally like to hook natives becasue they fight a hell of alot harder then the brats. next time I will clearafy when I state stock fish ok

Nets were in at 101 on Sunday didn't see em on Tuesday