State and tribes agree on fishing season; plan still awaits federal approval

  • By Chris Winters Herald Writer
  • Thursday, May 26, 2016 6:01pm
  • Local News

EVERETT — After a nearly monthlong stalemate, the Department of Fish &Wildlife and Native American tribes have come to an agreement on a recreational fishing season for Puget Sound.

The agreement reached Thursday afternoon follows extended negotiations between state and tribal fisheries managers after they failed to reach an agreement earlier this spring.

The state and tribes must now obtain a joint federal permit in order to open the fishing season in Puget Sound waters.

“We plan to re-open those waters as soon as we have federal approval,” said John Long, salmon fisheries policy lead for Fish &Wildlife. “We anticipate getting the new permit within a few weeks.”

Approval of the permit is expected by mid-June. In the meantime, a closure of recreational fishing that was enacted May 1 remains in effect.

The season includes a hatchery chinook season on the Snohomish River from June 1-July 30. A sockeye season on Baker Lake also is planned starting in mid-July, with a maximum take of 4,600 fish for the season.

Many rivers, including the Snohomish, the main stem of the Stillaguamish, the Skagit and the Cascade, will be closed in September and October to protect returning coho.

Details of the proposed new recreational season are posted online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon.

The tribal and state managers now will focus on addressing long-term resource management concerns, such as restoring habitat and boosting salmon stocks.

What that will entail remains to be worked out, said Lorraine Loomis, the chairwoman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

“We will work up a plan and see where we can work together to complete the work. It could be restoration, it could be laws,” Loomis said. “What we found out, right now we’re fighting over the last fish, and that doesn’t work.”

Further negotiations need to address long-term changes to the climate as well as restoring habitat, she added.

The process of co-management needs to be reworked, she said.

“Obviously our process is broken and I think we have to figure out why our process is broken and fix it,” Loomis said.

The negotiations have played out against a background of expected low runs of salmon, especially coho, and a resurgence of ill feeling between some recreational and tribal fishing interests.

In April, the Pacific Fishery Management Council released its rules for the marine fishing seasons.

But without an agreement at the state level for the inland waters, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, the 20 treaty tribes in Washington pre-emptively closed their own inland coho fisheries.

Then on May 1, the state closed most inland river fishing areas to sports fishermen.

The tribes submitted a separate permit to NOAA Fisheries.

But while that remained unsettled, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs on May 3 determined that a six-day tribal harvest of a maximum of 1,250 spring-run chinook salmon wouldn’t violate the Endangered Species Act.

Tribal fishermen took to local rivers to catch the first salmon of the season while non-tribal anglers staged protests in LaConner and Lacey.

The permit process won’t be able to move forward until the agency receives the joint application, NOAA Fisheries spokesman Michael Milstein said.

“We’ve been processing the tribal only proposal, because we’ve been working on that we have a pretty good head start on all the analysis we’ll do on this,” Milstein said.

“That gives us hope that we can get it done quickly,” he said.

The ongoing closures include salmon and steelhead fishing in Puget Sound marine areas, and all fishing in several lakes and many rivers that flow into Puget Sound.

A complete list of ongoing closures is available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/pugetsound_salmon_update.

Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

The Washington State University Snohomish County Extension building at McCollum Park is located in an area Snohomish County is considering for the location of the Farm and Food Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Year-round indoor farmers market inches closer to reality near Mill Creek

The Snohomish County Farm and Food Center received $5 million in federal funding. The county hopes to begin building in 2026.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Police: Teen in stolen car flees cops, causes crash in Lynnwood

The crash blocked traffic for over an hour at 176th Street SW. The boy, 16, was arrested on felony warrants.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.