FY 2018 Sauk-Suiattle Fish Enforcement

This project focused on full enforcement of Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribes Cascade River commercial spring Chinook fishery. This fishery targeted a hatchery run returning to WDFW Marblemount Hatchery.

The project will reduce impacts to all salmonids within the Skagit River basin by reducing the incidence of poaching. The Skagit Chinook Recovery Plan (SCRP) identifies poaching as a limiting factor to Chinook abundance. Illegal take may account for 10% or more of the Chinook escapement in the Skagit basin depending on the stock. The restoration action specified in the SCRP calls for increasing the presence of enforcement officers either by adding to existing staff or through improved coordination with other agencies. There is a long history of poaching (of all types) in this area. SSIT Fish Enforcement presence will reduce the potential for poaching while increasing the potential for detecting and reporting poaching incidents to the proper authorities. In addition, enforcement presence during tribal fisheries meets co-manager obligations.



The fish enforcement officer will catalog illegal land use activities and illegal dump sites that may impair river and riparian habitat function that support these stocks. Examples of the types of land use activities likely to be detected include illegal grading, stream bank armoring, timber harvest, and dumping. By identifying these illegal activity sites, agencies with jurisdiction can be contacted to implement corrective actions. The addition of SSIT Fish Enforcement personnel in this area is a great boost to Washington Department of Fish’s Habitat Protection and Enforcement programs which are currently underfunded and understaffed.