Elders fishing launches start of slow Chinook season

By Clare Jensen

For Puyallup Tribal News
cjensen@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: June 26, 2008

Puyallup Tribal elders got the first crack at fishing for spring Chinook for the first time in 25 years – but the four-day, elders-only restriction did not yield as many fish as expected.

The four-day event did get good participation from the Tribal elders, however.

“There was a great response from the elders,” said Puyallup Tribal Fisheries Harvest Manager Chris Phinney.

“There were families fishing together – brothers and sisters who haven’t fished together in years.”

On day one of the event June 10, about 24 elders on a total of 12 boats came out to throw their nets in the Puyallup River between Clark’s Creek Bridge and Murray Morgan Bridge.

By the fourth day, the excitement had gone down, and only about six boats came out on the water.

“Fishing was pretty slow,” Chris Phinney said.

At the end of the four, six-hour fishing days, only 83 salmon were caught.

“Spring Chinook are notorious for being late,” Chris Phinney said. “But we should have seen a better sign of fish this last week.”

He said the run has been so slow so far this season, both Puyallup and Muckleshoot had to shut down their fisheries until further notice on June 23.

At a time when the fishery would typically have about 500 fish in the Buckley trap, Chris Phinney said the Puyallup fishery only accounted for two.

At the all-membership opening for Chinook salmon season June 19, 14 boats caught about 50 fish. The following day seven boats came out to fish, and only came back with 13 salmon.

“Our Thursday (June 19) and Friday (June 20) we should have shown a little stronger push of fish,” he said. “We’re not sure what’s going on. We’ll just have to sit back and wait here to see if we can get some fish back up the river.”

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