Hey guys,
Thought I'd fill you in some on the fishery.
The tribe tries to focus their fishery on hatchery steelhead, so they fish more when hatchery fish are in the water. The tribe helps out with the hatchery production by taking about 130,000 eggs from Bogachiel Hatchery to their Lonesome Creek facility. The tribe does all the feeding and fin clipping over there and then ships them back over to Bogachiel where they are released.
The fishing schedule is similar each year, but is also adjusted according to returns. As the run switches to predominantly wild fish, fishing days will be reduced, as it is each year. Catch is monitored daily and the state and tribe talk to make sure there’s enough fish getting up river to spawn.
Also, only registered Quileute tribal members or their spouses (the only case when a non-Quileute would fish is with spousal rights) who have lived in Clallam County for at least 9 months can fish in Quileute tribal fisheries. Spouses who are not Quileute tribal members can only fish below the Richwine bar. Even a Quileute tribal member who lives in Puget Sound can’t fish unless he/she has established residency in Clallam County.
The Quileute Tribe’s natural resources department puts a lot of effort into habitat improvements for salmon and steelhead in the Quillayute watershed. Culverts that block salmon and steelhead from important spawning and rearing habitat have been removed, bridges have replaced culverts that were never going to work and woody debris that's important for salmon and steelhead rearing and spawning was added to places like the Dickey River.
And you know that big tall weed that was making it hard to get to your favorite fishing hole? The tribe is also involved in a multi-year effort to remove the invasive knotweed that threatens fish populations by replacing important streamside trees and their critical function in salmon habitat. You can especially see the difference on the Dickey and Calawah rivers.
The tribe, without a casino, does this work with the funds available, mostly grants and some federal dollars in absence of other agencies or individuals doing this work. These improvements benefit everyone, including sports fishermen.
If you want more information on the Quileute Tribe, check their Web site at
http://www.quileutetribe.org/
If you are interested in more information about habitat work by the tribes, troll through the Northwest Indian Fisheries Web site at
http://www.nwifc.org.