23 April
2003
Media Contact:
Mike Matylewich, CRITFC,
(503) 238-0667
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Columbia River treaty tribes
open spring Chinook sales
Portland, Oregon
- The public will
have its first opportunity of 2003 to purchase fresh salmon when the
Columbia River Indian Salmon Harvest begins this week. The Columbia
River Compact of Oregon and Washington, which regulates mainstem commercial
fisheries, agreed Apr. 23 with a proposal by the four Columbia River
Basin treaty tribes (Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla and Nez Perce)
to open commercial sales of spring chinook, coho, steelhead, walleye,
carp, and shad.
Tribal fishers will begin selling gillnet-caught this week throughout
Zone 6, a 150-mile stretch of the Columbia between the Bonneville
Dam and McNary Dam near Umatilla. Commercial sales will be open during
the following periods:
- Apr 24, 6 a.m., to Apr 26, 6 p.m.
Sales of platform- and hook-and-line caught fish begin Apr 24 at 6
a.m. and will continue until May 31 at 6 p.m.
The tribes want to benefit from a projected return of 195,000 spring
chinook to the Columbia River.
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 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.
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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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