FY 2019 Harvest Management and Hatchery Planning

This project supported the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe’s (PGST) harvest management and Hatchery Planning. The Natural Resource Director and finfish manager work together and participated in active harvest management efforts in order to provide sustainable tribal treaty fishing opportunity for PGST tribal salmon and steelhead fishers while helping insure ongoing recovery of ESA listed and other salmonid species of concern. The Director overlooked the entire fisheries program. The Director along with the finfish manager developed and executed harvest management objectives that ensure fishery planning consistency with the conservation objectives in plans and initiatives guiding salmon recovery in the Hood Canal region (Ames et al. 2000; PNPTC 1994; NMFS et all. 2004). The finfish manager attended fisheries management meetings including the North of Falcon and Pacific Fisheries Management Council meetings to help insure that tribal/state management agreements as well as intertribal agreements were best aligned with sustainable fisheries concepts that support tribal treaty rights and proactively address recovery efforts. The finfish manager also participated in the Fraser Panel meetings that address Canadian, United States and Tribal relations with the Sockeye and Pink salmon harvest. The finfish manager also managed each fishery individually to ensure each recovery plan was respected while protecting treaty rights and providing harvest opportunities to the fishermen (US v. Washington 1974).
This program also funded PGST hatchery planning and management. The Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe provides chum and coho through their own hatchery programs. The finfish manager participates in strategic meetings to discuss program intents and operational concerns that results in revised hatchery and genetic management plans and hatchery action implementation plans. Along with managing and planning PGST hatchery program, we also supported and participated with the Hood Canal Steelhead project that aided in the recovery of the self-sustainable winter Steelhead populations in three Hood Canal streams (South Fork Skokomish, Duckabush and Dewatto rivers). Using indigenous stocks, the Hood Canal steelhead project was a collaborative effort between National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Skokomish Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, the Point No Point Treaty Council (representing the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe) and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Long Live the Kings, and the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group.

The Port Gamble Tribes goal in Harvest management is to protect, restore and enhance the productivity, production, and diversity of Port Gamble targeted fishery species with special attention to summer Chum, Chinook salmon and winter Steelhead and their ecosystems. The intent is to provide surplus production sufficient to allow future directed and incidental harvests of summer chum salmon. Harvest management is vital for all tribes and states to participate in. The process currently in place puts checks and balances on tribal and state commercial fisheries to ensure that fishing rights are preserved while meeting escapement and recovery goals. The tribal harvest management program is critical to protect, sustain, and recover salmon and steelhead fisheries. Without this program in place, harvest rates would be exploited to a rate where recovery may be unattainable.