23 April
2002
Media Contact:
Charles Hudson, CRITFC,
(503) 731-1257
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Tribal fishers bring spring
chinook harvest to the public.
Over-the-bank, Richland sales highlight another strong salmon return
Portland, Oregon
- The public will
have its first opportunity of 2002 to purchase fresh salmon when the
Columbia River Indian Salmon Harvest begins this week. The
treaty commercial fishery will begin at 6:00am Thursday and continue
until 6 pm Saturday. This fishery period will be the first of three
anticipated commercial fishing periods.
Tribal fishers will make the majority of their approximately 16,000
harvestable spring chinook available to the general public by over-the-bank
sales. Prices will average $4/lb for whole fish averaging 12 Ð 15
pounds. In addition to spring chinook buyers can also purchase coho,
steelhead, shad and walleye.
This is the second year, after a 23-year absence, of the treaty commercial
fishery on spring chinook. The Columbia Basin saw a modern-era record
for salmon returns in 2001 when nearly three million adult fish returned.
The run this year is expected to be among the top ten returns since
Bonneville Dam was constructed.
As a staple of the tribal diet for thousands of years, salmon are
getting increased recognition as one of the healthiest foods available.
Recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and
the Journal of the American Medical Association cite clear links between
fish oils and reduced rates of heart disease. Spring chinook contain
among the highest amounts of the healthy omega-3 oils.
The historic fishery will include fishers from the Yakama Nation;
the Nez Perce Tribe; the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian
Reservation; and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Members of these tribes have long had a commercial fishery in the
mid-Columbia reserved by their 1855 treaties with the federal government.
Over-the-bank sales help tribal fishers support their families and
make it possible for them to continue their traditional livelihood.
These direct-to-public sales make possible the freshest product at
a very affordable price.
Prosperous fisheries also have broader economic benefits. The Columbia
River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission estimates that for every $10 generated
by fish sales as much as $7 is contributed to local economies.
In addition to Columbia point, other major sales locations include
the Marine Park in Cascade Locks, Lone Pine in The Dalles, the boat
launch near Roosevelt, Washington. Sales hours are approximately 10
a.m. until dusk. Buyers should bring sufficient ice and coolers to
keep fish fresh. Sales are cash only. Customers may call toll-free
1-888-289-1855 for more information regarding locations, special events
and confirmation of season dates/times.
The direct-to-the-public fish sale is a project of Columbia River
Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization.
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About CRITFC
The Portland-based Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is
the technical support and coordinating agency for fishery management
policies of the Columbia River Basin's four treaty tribes: the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes
and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe.
CRITFC, formed in 1977, employs biologists, other scientists, public
information specialists, policy analysts and administrators who work
in fisheries research and analyses, advocacy, planning and coordination,
harvest control and law enforcement. |
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