State, Tribes Consider Joint Salmon Policy Agreement Would Give Some Flexibility To Fishing, Hatcheries

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission has succumbed to opposition from American Indian tribes and legislators and backed away from a rigid policy to protect wild salmon and steelhead from excessive fishing and hatchery production.

Instead, the commission is moving toward a joint policy with tribes that would allow flexibility in management of hatcheries and harvests.

“The joint document is not as strong as we’d like, but it represents a dramatic improvement over what we’ve had in the past,” Bern Shanks, director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Friday.

Under the policy that was approved Wednesday in concept, individual tribes would be free to decide how far they want to go in reducing hatchery production or harvests. At the same time, the state would be committed to tighter control of hatcheries and harvests in places such as Willapa Bay, where no tribal rights limit its authority.

“It looks like there’s a package that we all agree to,” tribal negotiator Terry Williams said.

The commission also is expected to approve guidance that adds crucial detail for state fish managers, Shanks said.

Federal officials are expected to declare salmon runs threatened or endangered in much of the state over the next two years. Work already has begun to avert federal interference in local fish-protection efforts.

Gov. Gary Locke is to meet at Sea-Tac Airport Friday with three other leaders wrestling with similar problems: the governors of Alaska and Oregon and the Canadian minister of fisheries and oceans.

A draft policy by the state commission is being written after months of negotiation between state officials and about 20 tribes that have treaty rights to harvest and co-manage salmon. A public hearing is set for Nov. 21.

“We’ve got to work closely with the Legislature and the governor to get together a recovery plan,” said Commission Chairwoman Lisa Pelly.

The policy, which has not been released, is seen as the first of many painful steps needed to restore salmon runs.

A copy of it obtained by the Post-Intelligencer devotes 30 pages to habitat protection and restoration, although the commission and tribes concede they wield little authority over it. The policy devotes only six pages to hatcheries and harvest.

“We can’t force these changes” on tribes that have rights to jointly manage the fish, Commissioner Jolene Unsoeld said.

Instead, she said, the agreement will set the stage for improving fishing rules in regional talks with individual tribes.