NWIFC News Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission 6730 Martin Way E
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Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Spring 2013 NWIFCnwifc.org News Inside: ■ Elwha Sediment Level Increases ■ Cabin Removal Enhances Salmon Habitat ■ Understanding Dungeness Crab Die-offs ■ Tribes Use DNA to Track Elk ■ Monitoring Use of Habitat by Juvenile Salmon ■ Writing Steelhead Recovery Plan 1 Being Frank NWIFC News Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission 6730 Martin Way E. Olympia, WA 98516 Lincoln’s Birthday Special to Tribes (360) 438-1180 By Billy Frank Jr. NWIFC News is published quarterly. Free NWIFC Chairman subscriptions are available. This edition is also online at nwifc.org. Articles in e’ve been hearing a lot about Abraham Lincoln in recent months NWIFC News may be reprinted. Wafter the release of the movie about how he abolished slavery by pushing the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution through Congress. NWIFC Chairman Billy Frank Jr. Not many people know it, but Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12 also holds a special place in the hearts of the Executive Director treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Mike Grayum It was on that day in 1974 that federal Judge George Communications Division Manager Boldt handed down his landmark ruling in U.S. v. Tony Meyer Washington that upheld our treaty-reserved fishing rights and established us as co-managers of the salm- Regional Information Officers on resource. Debbie Preston, Coast Although he was ready to rule sooner, Judge Boldt Emmett O’Connell, South Sound Tiffany Royal, Hood Canal/ purposely delayed the court proceedings so he could Strait of Juan de Fuca deliver his decision on the birthday of one of the Kari Neumeyer, North Sound greatest presidents we’ve ever had, a president who up- held the basic human rights of all people. And that’s what Judge Boldt did. He upheld our rights, and for that we will always be grateful. NWIFC Member Tribes: Hoh, It’s been 39 years now since Boldt’s decision, and things have changed a lot Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha since then. Klallam, Lummi Nation, Makah, More than 1 million people have moved into western Washington, making a Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Nooksack, Port big impact on our natural resources. Gamble S’Klallam, Puyallup, Quileute, Herring populations – an important food for salmon – have shrunk to a small Quinault Indian Nation, Sauk-Suiattle, Skokomish, Squaxin Island, Stillaguamish, fraction of former levels in Puget Sound. Suquamish, Swinomish, Tulalip and Upper Our floods and droughts have gotten worse because of climate change and Skagit changes we’ve made to our landscape. We’ve lost nearly all of our old-growth forests, native prairies and salt marshes. Tribal contact information is available un- We’ve also lost most of our salmon harvest. Ongoing damage and destruction der Member Tribes at nwifc.org. to salmon habitat have led to tribal harvest levels that are lower than they were in Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/ 1974, and this trend isn’t showing signs of improvement. nwifc and on Twitter: @nwifc Nonetheless, we are hopeful as we begin planning for the 40th anniversary of the Boldt decision next year. As part of the celebration, a pair of movies that focus on the treaty fishing rights struggle were recently released by our friends at Salmon Defense, a non-profit organization working to turn the tide for salmon. The first is “As Long as the Rivers Run,” the fundamental documentary about the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 70s by Carol Burns and Hank Adams. They gener- ously donated the film to Salmon Defense so that it can be preserved and shared. The second movie is “Back to the River,” which was produced by Salmon De- On the cover: Quileute tribal mem- fense to provide additional perspectives on treaty rights and the natural resources ber Theodore Eastman sorts crab from management challenges we face today. the Quileute boat Bananas. Crab is an Both of these movies are available for free by contacting Salmon Defense at important fishery for coastal tribes. The Quinault Indian Nation wants to salmondefense.org or by calling (360) 528-4308. research how low oxygen events may affect crab populations. See page 8 for the story. Photo: D. Preston 2 ELWHA RIVer RESTORATION SedimentNow that the first winter has Levelpassed with Estimate Increases the Elwha Dam demolished and the Glines Canyon Dam nearly gone, scientists are watching how the Elwha River handles millions of cubic yards of sediment com- ing downstream. Originally estimated at 24 million cu- bic yards, scientists have re-estimated the total amount of sediment built up behind the two dams the past 100 years to 34 mil- lion cubic yards. The revision came after the discovery that surveyors made errors while determining elevations in the early 20th century. Scientists believe that 6 million cubic Kim Sager-Fradkin, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe yards have flushed out of the system since The sediment flushing out of the Elwha River is starting to develop a sandbar that extends east dam demolition started in September 2011. of the mouth. “The large plume extending into the Strait of Juan de Fuca appears to be made For decades, the beaches were noted for April 21. The dam still is expected to be of the really fine material, like sediment their cobblestone terrain because the dams fully removed by the end of 2013. and clay, but the heavier materials, such as prevented a regular downstream transport All the sediment-laden water is coming sand and wood debris, are showing up at of silty and sandy material. Since dam re- from the former floors of the now dewa- the mouth, nearshore and within the estu- moval, the beaches have started to fill with tered Aldwell and Mills reservoirs. The ary,” said Matt Beirne, the Lower Elwha sand, creating better habitat for shellfish tribe’s revegetation crew has been planting Klallam Tribe’s environmental quality and forage fish. native vegetation throughout the exposed program manager. “We’ve had deposits of At the same time, the sediment has lakebeds during the past year. Oceanspray, silt and sand up to several feet in depth in clogged the National Park Service’s in- Nootka rose, Douglas fir, snowberry, elder- these areas, and even a sand spit develop- dustrial water treatment plant and, in turn, berry and thimbleberry plants are growing ing from the west side of the river mouth affected the tribe’s hatchery water intake on the new banks of the Elwha River. and extending east. system. The plant was built to treat river “We’ve been out here practically daily “We’ve had to move around some of our water for industrial use, such as the tribe’s for a good year now watching how the river water quality and sampling instruments to hatchery, the local paper mill and the state’s has changed,” said Phillip Blackcrow, the deeper locations in the estuary to avoid get- chinook rearing facility on the river. tribe’s revegetation crew supervisor. “It’s ting buried.” While the plant receives upgrades and been pretty wild seeing old-growth stumps As the sediment flushes out, it is restor- repairs, the deconstruction of the Glines and trees emerge as the lakebeds have ing the beaches at the mouth of the river. Canyon Dam has been put on hold until washed away.” – T. Royal Fish Released into Elwha River, Tributaries The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has collected, tagged and re- located adult coho salmon from lower Elwha River hatcheries to two tributaries, Indian Creek and Little River, and the river’s mainstem. The effort, in its second year, was in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In December, 318 fish were released to encourage spawn- ing in the tributaries located between the two dam sites, but unaffected by dam removal. Another 10 fish were released into the mainstem above the Highway 101 bridge. Prior to release from the state’s Elwha River chinook rear- ing facility, the gender, length and coded-wire tag (CWT) of each fish were noted. The CWT, inserted in the snout of the fish at a young age, informs fisheries managers when and where the fish originated when caught by fishermen or upon its return to a hatchery. T. Royal In addition, a tag was attached to each fish’s dorsal fin so Staff from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Washington Department the tribe and agencies can track its release date and location of Fish and Wildlife tag fish that will be released into tributaries of the if caught. The 10 fish released into the mainstem were outfit- Elwha River. ted with just radio tags so the tribe can track their migration patterns using a telemetry system. – T. Royal 3 NORTH SOUND CabinUpper Skagit TribeRemoved natural resources help to improve Improve streamside habitat. Salmoncabin, burning Habitat the wood and bagging the staff dismantled an abandoned cabin last The site is owned by Seattle City Light, non-biodegradable contents, which were fall, airlifting 4 tons of debris from the which purchased the land, along with par- airlifted from the site and transported to the banks of the South Fork Nooksack River to cels along the Sauk and Skagit rivers, to Skagit County transfer site for recycling or offset habitat inundated by construction disposal. At end of the effort, the only sign of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. that someone had been using the area was The tribe has a contract with the utility to the bare soil where the cabin once stood. help manage the more than 10,000 acres of During the many years of use, the struc- habitat. ture degraded riparian habitat, disturbed The log cabin had been on the property wildlife and was a human health hazard.