[env-trinity] Byron Nelson Jr.-Tribe debates fishing report

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_3aeb6548-372c-11ea-9ea7-cf5c7f0eada6.html
Tribe debates fishing report
   
   - Byron Nelson Jr., chairman Hoopa Valley Tribe
    
   - 6 hrs ago

It’s irresponsible of Mr. E.B. Dugan to allege that the Hoopa Valley Tribe is depleting the fishery to the point that “NO fish will return” (Oct. 6 Fishing Report). Such unfounded statements misinform the public and are offensive to our unique tribal standing.

Our Tribe reserved its rights to the Trinity fishery by treaty in 1864 and has worked to reverse the legacy effects of mining, timber harvest and Trinity Dam for decades. We’ve also insisted upon full mitigation at Trinity River Hatchery.

The Tribe deploys a selective harvest weir to complement our gillnet fishery which has suffered from excessive moss in the river. Our weir is left open a considerable portion of the time to allow fish passage and is not intended to “eliminate fish populations.” Mr. Dugan’s own report affirms this by citing fish counts at the state’s weir located just upstream of Hoopa.

Each year, the Pacific Fishery Management Council sets a conservation objective for Klamath River fall chinook spawners. Fish surplus to this objective are shared equally among tribal and non-tribal fisheries. The majority of the non-tribal harvest typically occurs in ocean commercial and recreational fisheries.

The Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes collectively access the remaining half of the surplus.
We are concerned that irresponsible reporting may cause adverse public reactions which are unwarranted given that the Tribe’s weir strictly conforms with established management principles. To this end, we would encourage Mr. Dugan to provide accurate and non-inflammatory information in his future reporting.
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