Upper Skagit Indian Tribe’s FY 2023 Skagit Watershed Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement

Project funds will be used to support a portion of Upper Skagit Indian Tribe (USIT) Fish and Wildlife Enforcement officer salaries. Starting in May and ending in early November during the implementation of commercial, subsistence, or test fisheries, USIT Fish and Wildlife Enforcement officers will monitor fishing sites for fishery regulatory compliance, including gear restrictions, open waters, catch reporting, and emergency closures. In addition, Enforcement Officers will help limit take of listed species by assisting to remove derelict or phantom gear in the Skagit River. The Enforcement Officers will coordinate with other agencies ensuring both state and tribal enforcement and conservation activities are being enforced. The officers will routinely check fishing grounds after scheduled fisheries in the Skagit River to ensure no derelict gear is illegally fishing.

The primary benefit is to prevent illegal harvest and to monitor tribal fisheries to ensure fishers are complying with harvest and conservation regulations that were developed in Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and North of Falcon arenas and ordinances set forth by USIT Council. The presence of an officer on the fishing grounds during fisheries facilitates communication with harvest managers on accurate catch accounting and reporting to ensure that tribal fisheries are managed to achieve conservation goals. The officers also conduct surveys for illegal fishing and respond to all reports of derelict fishing gear, reducing or eliminating accidental and illegal take of Chinook.