Fishing

Read more about the article Quinault Indian Nation jump-starting important spruce tree growth
A Quinault Indian Nation tree planting crew plants spruce trees as part of jump-starting the growth of this key species that helps stabilize river channels and fish habitat.

Quinault Indian Nation jump-starting important spruce tree growth

A Quinault Indian Nation tree planting crew plants spruce trees as part of jump-starting the growth of this key species that helps stabilize river channels and fish habitat.
A Quinault Indian Nation tree planting crew plants spruce trees as part of jump-starting the growth of this key species that helps stabilize river channels that are important fish habitat.

Restoring Sitka spruce and native vegetation to the upper Quinault River valley floodplain is another piece of the complex puzzle the Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) is assembling to rehabilitate the Quinault River and the sockeye or blueback salmon that depend on a healthy river system.

In the first phase of river restoration, QIN installed 13 engineered logjams in Alder Creek in 2008. The 2012 project built seven more engineered logjams to stabilize the river channel, restore habitat for salmon and reduce risk to landowners’ property from erosion.

Most recently, the Quinault Division of Natural Resources (QDNR) and its contractor R2 Resource Consultants, began the first of many floodplain forest treatments this spring after an extensive planning process. (more…)

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Read more about the article Makah Tribe to celebrate completion of state-of-the-art dock
The Makah Tribe will celebrate the completion of their $13 million dock built to earthquake and tsunami standards that will serve the community and others for years to come.

Makah Tribe to celebrate completion of state-of-the-art dock

The Makah Tribe will celebrate the completion of their $13 million dock built to earthquake and tsunami standards that will serve the community and others for years to come.
The Makah Tribe will celebrate the completion of their $13 million dock built to earthquake and tsunami standards that will serve the community and others for years to come.
The Makah Tribe will celebrate the opening of their new $13.8 million dock at 11 a.m., Oct. 10 with a blessing and ribbon cutting even as they prepare for phase two of the facility.

The new 120-foot long, two-lane dock has a state-of-the-art ice machine capable of holding 110 tons of ice and has five offloading terminals, up from two on the old dock that became unsafe late last year. (more…)

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Historical fish hook draws community together

Alex Wise wrapping hook
Makah tribal member Alex Wise works to wrap one of the halibut hooks during a community volunteer session where the hooks were made. He later used them in a test fishing project.

A fish hook has tied history, culture and the Makah community together in unexpected ways.

The čibu·d (pronounced “cha bood”), or halibut hook, became the subject of a student project during an internship with Makah Fisheries Management.

“I had a student, Larry Buzzell, come to me wanting to do a project that related to historical fishing methods,” said Jonathan Scordino, marine mammal biologist for the Makah Tribe.

Historically the hooks were made of both wood and bone. As the tribe gained access to new materials, they also made hooks from metal.

“The goal of the project was to test if the čibu·d was more selective for catching halibut than contemporary circle hooks when fished on a longline,” Scordino said.

Setting up the experiment was challenging because the study required 200 čibu·d to be made by hand. (more…)

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Culverts add obstacles to salmon, state, politics

The Seattle Times today reports on the culvert case ruling and the challenges of replacing fish-blocking culverts:

More than 1,676 culverts from Neah Bay to Walla Walla block more than 2,377 miles of potential salmon habitat. And those are just the culverts owned by the state Department of Transportation. Pipes owned and maintained by other state and local agencies add to the problem.

It’s been a well-known problem for years. But culverts recently became a big, costly liability for the state.

Last summer, U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo S. Martinez agreed with 20 of the state’s Indian tribes that the state has a duty to fix problem culverts because they diminish salmon runs, and that violates the tribes’ fishing rights guaranteed by treaties signed in the 19th century.

(more…)

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