In response to declining salmon stocks, tribes have voluntarily reduced harvests for decades, up to 80-90 percent in some cases. Still, the tribes made additional sacrifices to forge the long-term Pacific Salmon agreement. As part of the agreement, the U.S. will reduce harvest levels on chinook stocks in southern fisheries to sustainable levels on depressed stocks that will ensure optimum production of chinook stocks over time. Harvests of coho and chum salmon will be shaped to reflect the conservation-based approach to the agreement. Tribal opportunities for economic development are extremely limited.
Fishing is often the basis of many tribal economies.
State governments, however, have almost unlimited opportunities for economic advancement. As part of the agreement, tribes primarily dependent on Fraser River sockeye agreed to additional harvest cuts. Salmon recovery can only be achieved through a combination of harvest and habitat reforms. Everyone in the Northwest has a similar responsibility. It is time for developers, farmers and others to recognize this duty as well.