Fish And Wildlife Sets Rules For Salmon Stock Protection

After years of study and gridlock, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday adopted a plan setting guidelines for protecting and restoring threatened wild salmon stocks.

The new Wild Salmonid Policy, adopted unanimously by the nine-member commission after months of negotiations with 20 Western Washington tribes, allows for more conservative salmon management, including the possibility of cutbacks in fishing seasons.

Under the plan, said Fish and Wildlife Director Bern Shanks, more hatchery salmon can be produced for anglers, allowing wild salmon to return to their spawning grounds.

“The point of all this is to preserve this precious legacy for future generations,” commission chairwoman Lisa Pelly of Bainbridge Island said before the much-awaited vote.

Much work remains.

None of the tribes has signed the document, a critical element because the tribes enjoy treaty rights to 50 percent of all harvestable salmon. Fish managers expect more than half of the tribes to sign the document in the next month after they iron out some details, but some tribes may have more serious problems with the plan.

Tribal cooperation is critical, since the state, which co-manages salmon stocks with the tribes, has direct jurisdiction over only half of the harvestable salmon in Washington waters.

As they wait for tribal action on the policy, commission members said they passed a resolution to begin the rebuilding process while discussions with the tribes continue because someone had to take the first step.