1 July
2002
Media Contact:
Mike Matylewich or
Charles Hudson, CRITFC, (503) 238-0667
|
 |
Columbia River treaty tribes
open summer Chinook sales
Portland, Oregon
- For the first
time in 35 years, treaty tribes of the Columbia River Basin will sell
targeted summer chinook salmon-- the so-called "June hogs"--to the
public.
The four Columbia River Basin treaty tribes (Yakama, Warm Springs,
Umatilla and Nez Perce) today proposed to open commercial sales of
platform- and hook-and-line-caught summer chinook, steelhead, sockeye,
walleye and carp from 6 a.m. July 3 to 6 p.m. July 7. Sales will reopen
from 6 a.m. July 19 to 6 p.m. July 31. Shad also will be sold.
The Columbia River Compact, consisting of representatives of the states
of Oregon and Washington, agreed.
The action provides a unique opportunity for fishing on the largest
summer chinook return on the Columbia River since the late 1950s.
The last commercial sale of tribal-caught, targeted summer chinook
was in 1965.
The summer chinook count at Bonneville Dam already has surpassed 85,000,
and the total run is expected to reach 145,000.
"The larger-than-anticipated summer chinook return creates opportunities
for tribal fishers," Kathryn Brigham, a member of the Umatilla Reservation's
Fish and Wildlife Committee, told the Compact this afternoon.
Under an agreement with federal and state governments, the tribes
can harvest 5 percent of the projected salmon run, or a total of about
7,250 fish. The projected summer chinook catch for treaty platform
and hook-and-line fisheries is about 1,520 fish. The remainder of
the allowable catch will be taken through gillnet permits and used
for tribal subsistence and ceremonial purposes.
The sockeye forecast is 41,000. Under the same agreement, the harvest
rate for treaty fisheries for sockeye also is 5 percent. An estimated
1,800 will be caught.
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 found in species like salmon and reduced rates
of heart disease. Salmon contain high amounts of these 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.
Under 1855 treaties with the federal government, members of these
tribes reserved the right to fish at all usual and accustomed fishing
places in the Columbia River Basin. The fishing right includes ceremonial,
subsistence and commercial fisheries.
Over-the-bank sales help tribal fishers support their families and
make it possible to continue their traditional livelihood. Prosperous
fisheries also have broader local and regional economic benefits.
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) estimates
that for every $10 generated by fish sales, as much as $7 is contributed
to local economies.
Tribal sellers can be found at various locations between Bonneville
Dam and McNary Dam. Major sales locations include the Marine Park
at Cascade Locks, Lone Pine at The Dalles and the boat launch near
Roosevelt, Wash. Buyers should bring sufficient ice and coolers to
keep fish fresh. Sales are cash only.
Customers can call toll-free (888) 289-1855 for more information regarding
locations, special events and confirmation of season dates/times.
# # # #
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. |
|
