notice there were no hatchery brats in his illgotten booty. lol

Berkley Boy/Greatone-
I see a huge difference between any incidental tribal caught chinook and what this poacher did. This charcter clearly was out to intentionally rape the resource with little apparent concern about the resource.

The Skagit tribes have not targeted chinook in any of their commercial fisheries in years. Yes they do catch chinook incidentally in some of their fisheries (the pink fishery is particularly bad) however if you wish to end the take of incidental Skagit chinook in fisheries you need to expand your area of concerns.

By far the largest take of Skagit chinook occurs in BC waters (both trollers and sport fisheries). Anyone who supports those fisheries are supporting a larger take than what the tribes kill. The fact is the wild Skagit chinook are incidentally killed in every marine recreational salmon fishery in the State - should we close them all?

Tight lines
S malma

I understand that federal charges are pending, but the state should have SLAPPED this guy HARD! Then the next time one of the tribal members wants to shoot elk/deer right at the feeding station, or think that they alone can fish for endangered fish out of season/limits and equipment guidelines then we would have a baseline to judge how that was handled!

Smalma
I don't think we can blame Canada too much for catching U.S, fish. Look at the absolute rape that Alaska comercial fishing does to Canadian and U.S. fish stocks. I feel for Canada.

smalma, i do understand that alot of the esa listed chinook are caught by trollers and i bet alot more are caught in their ocean migration by russian and korean high sea's fishers..but what i mentioned was, that there is no equality between a white fisherman who breaks the law and a native american who does the very same thing..the white man will allways recieve a more severe punishment

Here we are again slamming the pore Tribes. Don’t you think it’s time we just all go back to wherever we are from or our grandparents are from or their grandparents are from? I’ve never been to Norway but I guess there is some fishing there. You Germans go back to Germany, Irish back to your Island; Mexicans head South, Africans sorry about the slave thing but you need to leave too. Orientals you guys grab a few boats and troll home but be careful to release all unmarked salmon on your way. I am sure it will be a happy homecoming for all and just think how happy everyone will be to see us. Just think how happy everyone would be then. The rest of the world wouldn’t have to worry about big brother USA butting into their business any more. Oh be sure to tell your respective countries when you get there not to come here and try to take this semi productive land for themselves unless they are prepared to take it fare and square with a fight to the death with it’s rightful owners or at least bring better Lawyers than we did. This treaty crap is so ridicules for this day and age it makes me Ill. Someone messed up. An equal share means an equal share. Every Native American should be entitled to the same share of salmon, crab, dear, elk, mushroom or berry I am. If they want to fish for a living let them have some or most or even all of the new commercial licenses that are issued when tribal fishing like slavery becomes an embarrassing part of US history. I can’t think of anything as damaging to a race than what’s happened to Native Americans. Reservations, special rights and money for nothing it just doesn’t work in this society. It is a shame what they had is lost but it is lost and it can’t come back end of story tuff $h!#. It’s time to clean up the mess and move on. Ok maybe I am just jealous maybe all us whiners are just jealous or maybe there just shouldn’t be anything to be jealous about……Hum

As for the Skagit poacher it has nothing to do with the tribes and it is weak on my part to pick this thread to vent. He should be nailed to the wall for what he’s done. If he had 25 fish in the boat while fishing by himself with rods and reels I doubt it was his first time out. I have never had a day close to that on a WA river. If he has the money to pay high fines then take it and do some good with it. At least as much as it cost to find, catch, convict and punish him. If he hasn’t got the bucks outhouse scrapping for life.

first two @ $250 a pop, after that just double the fine for each fish....we could fix social security and bail out Are-nold in Calif with all the $ he would owe...

I hope the feds crack down on him...if TSA is involved he will go free as long as he is not packing a corkscrew...

I say set him free if he changes his vote to Rossi... (sorry, the eve single malt is kicking in....)

Few if any tribal members have 100% native blood anymore so I guess they'll be leaving too.

Where did the Native Americans come from? The theory is that they came across a land bridge from Asia. Maybe they can go back to Kamachatka if all the rest of of us need to go back to the old world. Where do they go if they are half breeds?

My post was about equality,every one should be treated equally.No speacial rules,seasons,limits,etc.etc.
This guy is not a novice at this and should have the book thrown at him, but you can see that myself and others here feel like the red-headed step child, here in our own country. No where did anyone advocate throwing out another group, lets just all play with the same rule book and on a level playing field.

The fines may not be appropriate and the WA fine schedule is strange. Trophy animals or listed fish or other wildlife species should carry some enhanced fine structures. Coloraod charges $2000 to $100000 and or a year in jail for the take of T&E species along with 20 points against the individuals license privileges (20 points gets a hearing to show cause why license privileges should not be suspended). I'd sure like to see a point system added to the wildlife statutes that would allow WDFW to suspend license privileges for a period of time and in some cases for life for those individuals who, like Kingma get caught with a major violation or others who keep getting popped for smaller violations. WA is tied in with the Wildlife Violators Compact and folks in member states who are suspended are prohibitied from participating in wildlife related activities in all the member states (I think there are 18 states in the WVC). The suspension is often harder on the person than the fine.

p.s. I think that at least half, if not all of the fines, should go back into a WDFW LE fund so that the poachers can help pay for the cost of the equipment needed to keep officers effective in the field. If a county officer was to write a ticket, then his/her agency should get the fine money. I don't think WDFW LE efforts should be putting money into county accounts.