Gov. Inslee visits coastal tribes
Washington Governor Jay Inslee visited the Hoh, Quileute and Makah tribes Friday and heard a number of environmental concerns. See the article in the Peninsula Daily News.
Hoh Indian Tribe
Hoh Indian Tribe 2269 Lower Hoh Road PO Box 2196 Forks, WA 98331 Phone: (360) 374-6582 Fax: (360) 374-5426 Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Phone: (360) 374-2005 Fax: (360) 374-9788…
Let’s understand our watery world
Are rockfish stocks off the coast of Washington state in the same condition as rockfish population hundreds of miles away in California? Probably not, but the way we manage them now, we’re assuming that the two diverse stocks are identical. (more…)
Monster December Storm Likely Harmed Future Olympic Peninsula Chinook Returns
FORKS(Dec. 19, 2007)--Chinook returns to Olympic coastal rivers -- already down significantly from recent years -- took another hit from early December's monster storm. “Right before the storm, we had active spawning in throughout the Quillayute River system , and the kind of flows we saw with this storm will certainly reduce egg survival because the high water scoured eggs out of the gravel,” said Roger Lien, fisheries biologist for Quileute Tribe. Average flows this time of year on the Olympic Peninsula's Hoh River are about 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Flows of more than 60,000 cfs were recorded during the Dec. 3 storm.
Hoh River Flooding: Needs of Fish and People Must be Balanced
“We know and understand that resources have to be protected, but we think it’s time to move toward more natural solutions that pose less harm to salmon and trout. Ultimately we would like to look for ways to move as many of the people, buildings and roads out of the river's floodplain,” said Vivian Lee, Hoh tribal chairwoman.
Hoh Tribe Uses Salmon-Like Approach To Count Young Coho
FORKS (Sept. 16, 2005) - Sometimes the best way to count fish is to become one. Hoh tribal biologists and technicians are donning fins, wet suits and snork masks to get the best idea of where fish like to congregate during the low flows of summer.
“Coho especially seem attracted to my mask,” said Ernie Penn, Hoh tribal member and fisheries technician. “If I’m really still, they swim right up to my face.”
By counting fish and noting where they are found in the three different tributaries to the Hoh River, the tribe is getting a good idea of the quality and capacity of habitat for young coho and steelhead.
“We’re not only counting fish, but pools created by downed trees and the fast, shallow sections of water called riffles,” said Joe Gilbertson, fisheries biologist for the Hoh Tribe. “We’re correlating the numbers of fish to the types of habitat where they are found to assess and monitor the productivity of the different habitats.”
Hoh Tribe Taking Stock Of Coho And Their Habitat
HOH RIVER (June 22, 2005)– Mature cedar, spruce, hemlock and cottonwood trees tower over the quiet waters of an old channel of the Hoh River. Lush green salmon berry bushes bend under the weight their ripe fruit, a favorite early spring treat of black bears.
With habitat such as this, it’s not a coincidence that this old channel, which still outflows to the Hoh River, is producing some the highest numbers of young fish that the Hoh Tribe is encountering as part of an effort to tag young coho.
“The mature forest here plus the prime rearing habitat that a channel abandoned by the river provides has a lot to do with the productivity of this area,” said Joe Gilbertson, salmon biologist for the Hoh Tribe.
Hoh Tribe Working To Mitigate Highway 101 Project’s Impacts On Fish
FORKS (August 19, 2004) — The Hoh Indian Tribe’s relationship with the 55-mile long, glacier-fed Hoh River goes back centuries. It is the thread of life from which the salmon comes. Salmon sustains the tribe. Both depend on a healthy Hoh River.
That is why the Hoh Tribe is taking an active part in the $7.1 million Highway 101/Hoh River construction project. The Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) is heading the project that is being funded by federal highway funds. The colossal work is creating the largest known man-made logjams to coax the river away from the highway in a way that protects the road and enhances fish habitat.
Hoh Tribe Counting Steelhead Returns And Tracking Low Water Flow Concerns
HOH (June 15, 2004) — The Olympic Peninsula is home to some of the healthiest runs of wild steelhead in the Pacific Northwest. Among the half dozen rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean, the Hoh is one of the most revered steelhead streams.
The Hoh Tribe, situated at the mouth of the river, has always depended on fishing, particularly steelhead. The fish are especially important because they return over a longer period (four months) and at a time when there are no salmon to catch.
The tribe, as a co-manager of the resource, assesses spawning escapement of the wild steelhead runs based upon redd (salmon nests) counts, which begin in spring and continue through early summer. Escapement is the number of fish allowed to pass upstream and spawn so that a run can be sustained at a desired level.
Hoh Tribe Slated To Begin Knotweed Eradication Program
HOH RESERVATION (Oct 14, 2002) — The Hoh Tribe will soon begin an aggressive multi-year campaign to eliminate the invasive plant knotweed from the banks of the Hoh River. The weed threatens streamside forests and natural river function.
Japanese knotweed, imported as an ornamental from Asia in the late 1800’s and often found as an ornamental bush in gardens, spreads quickly, and can overrun all plants around it. It is even able to out-compete other notorious invasive plants such as Scot’s broom. It is commonly known as false bamboo. It threatens fish habitat throughout the State of Washington.