The Oct. 15 article, “Tulalips see suit as major threat,” implied that a lawsuit filed by Washington Trout and other salmon-recovery advocates could severely restrict tribal fishing in Puget Sound. That is neither our motivation nor our aim.
NOAA Fisheries approved a fishing plan that the agency acknowledges would impede recovery of key chinook populations in Puget Sound. The plan violates NOAA’s own criteria for harvest management, and is inconsistent with the recovery goals developed by NOAA’s own Technical Recovery Team.
However, as our complaint makes clear, we respect tribal rights to fish for salmon in Puget Sound, and support limits on NOAA’s ability to restrict tribal fishing. ESA-listed Puget Sound chinook are caught in commercial and recreational fisheries in Alaska, Canada, the Washington coast, and in Puget Sound; new information reveals that Canadian fishing impacts on Puget Sound chinook are much higher than previously believed. The combined catch is too high, but Puget Sound tribal fisheries are just one part of that total harvest.
If we win our suit – and we believe we will – NOAA will have to re-evaluate the impact of all these fisheries. However, NOAA is required by its own rules to consider changes in other fisheries before reducing tribal fisheries. NOAA can, and should, consider changes in fishing practices, locations, seasons and gear that would create more selective fisheries to conserve wild chinook, while potentially even increasing the harvest of hatchery salmon and more abundant, unlisted wild species.
Our aim is not to shut down salmon fishing in Puget Sound. We want fishing management that doesn’t inhibit the recovery of this important cultural icon. Yes, fishing shouldn’t be singled out, and habitat protection and restoration will always be vitally important. But a truly comprehensive and effective chinook-recovery effort must include more conservative fisheries management.
Kurt Beardslee Executive Director
Washington Trout
Duvall
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