Author: Bryan Bougher

This author has written 401 articles

The Nisqually watershed is getting some help from its neighbors

NISQUALLY (December 13, 2007) – Four neighboring watershed organizations are chipping in nearly $1 million toward a 700-acre estuary restoration project on the Nisqually River. The restoration project at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge will be the most extensive salmon restoration project in Western Washington.

“Juvenile salmon from all across South Sound use the Nisqually estuary, so restoring it would mean healthier salmon populations for all of our watersheds,” said Amy Hatch-Winecka, salmon recovery coordinator for the Deschutes and Kennedy/Goldsborough watersheds.

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Pat Neal on the Fish Wars

Pat Neal, a longtime outdoors writer from the Olympic Peninsula had a great column recently about the history of fisheries management and the Fish Wars. Here it is, in its entirety:

Thank you for reading this. Sometimes I think if you didn’t read this no one would. But you do. I know this because you send me the most wonderful cards and letters. For example, lately I was accused of presenting a one sided view of American history where the Native Americans helped the first European settlers in the new world only to be repaid for their kindness by being “wiped off the map.”

The reader(s) complained that this scenario ignores the fact that the Indians were savages known for scalping people, sometimes when they were still alive.

That’s got to hurt however, I should point out, the Indians did not invent the practice of scalping. Back in the dark and distant days of our history, scalping was a common practice of many different races, creeds and colors. White men were known to scalp Indians to claim the bounty. Which begs the question, who were the savages?

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Pink salmon in Clarks Creek near Puyallup

I was up at the Puyallup Tribe’s Clarks Creek hatchery near Puyallup this morning. They are in the middle of their chinook spawning season right now. In addition to the expected chinook salmon, they’re also seeing a bunch of pink salmon. This is apparently the first time pinks have gone up Clarks Creek in recent memory.

Those pinks (which are all wild) are being passed above the tribe’s hatchery into upper Clarks Creek. In the next few weeks, you will likely be able to see those fish as they swim through Clarks Creek Park in Puyallup. I stopped by on my way home and could see a few pinks close to one of the banks. Clarks Creek is already a great spot to see chum salmon later in the spawning season. Go below the fold for a map to see pinks.

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Puyallup Tribe Building New Acclimation Pond

GREENWATER (September 19, 2007) – The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is building a new acclimation pond for juvenile chinook in the upper White River to replace two ponds that were destroyed during winter floods.

Every year the Puyallup Tribe transfers thousands of juvenile spring chinook from the Muckleshoot Tribe’s hatchery on the White River and raises the young fish in five acclimation ponds in the upper watershed. In some years the Puyallup Tribe transfers as many as 800,000 young chinook in the hopes that some will return as adults.

“Thousands of adult chinook return to the upper watershed of the White River,” said Blake Smith, hatchery biologist for the Puyallup Tribe. “There is a lot of great habitat up here, we want them to take full advantage of it.”

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