R.I.P. Billy Frank Jr.

Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually elder, fisherman and key figure in the fight to protect Native American fishing rights and salmon habitat, passed away at home on May 5, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission announced.

Mr. Frank was first arrested for salmon fishing as a boy in 1945. He was beaten and jailed repeatedly as he and others staged “fish ins” demanding the right to collect Chinook and other salmon in their historical waters, as guaranteed under treaties when they ceded land to settlers in the 19th century. By the time celebrities like Marlon Brando showed up on the Nisqually River to assist them in 1964, the salmon wars had raged for decades.

In 1974, U.S. District Judge George Boldt affirmed the tribes’ right to half of the fish harvest — and the nation’s obligation to honor the old treaties. In 1993, another court decision extended that affirmation to the harvest of shellfish.

By then Mr. Frank already had become one of the nation’s most eloquent and influential tribal champions.

LINK (via: Seattle Times)

Just last week Billy had this to say about the recent Puget Sound hatchery steelhead agreement.

“Lost and damaged habitat, not hatcheries or harvest, is what’s driving wild steelhead and salmon populations toward extinction,” Frank said. “The focus needs to be on fixing and protecting habitat, not fighting over hatcheries and the fish they produce.”

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2014/05/04/3116072/conservation-angling-community.html#storylink=cpy

40 years after Boldt, the fight goes on over fewer and fewer fish

Forty years ago Federal Judge George Boldt issued his historic ruling reaffirming the rights of Washington's Indian tribes to fish in accustomed places.

The polarizing effects of that decision are still being felt.

LINK (via: The Seattle Times)

As the tribes celebrate the anniversary of the Boldt Decision this week, another federal court sub-proceeding is in the news.

The treaty tribes argued that hundreds of culverts installed at road crossings by the state block fish from passing through them and therefore reduce the amount of harvest available to the tribes. 

LINK (via: The Native American Times)

The Boldt Decision - 39 years Later

On February 12, 1974, Federal Judge George Boldt issued his historic ruling reaffirming the rights of Washington's Indian tribes to fish in accustomed places. The "Boldt Decision" allocated 50 percent of the annual catch to treaty tribes and his ruling is still being litigated today in the court of public opinion.

Back to the River tells the story of the treaty rights struggle from pre-Boldt era to tribal and state co-management. The movie includes the voices and personal accounts of tribal fishers, leaders and others active in the treaty rights fishing struggle.

In 2004 the Seattle Times did story on the 30th anniversary of the Boldt Decision. The tag line on that piece was, the fish bonanza is over; now, preserving habitat is a paramount issue.

Nine years later and we're still in the same boat. 

Hard-won fishing rights worthless without fish

You can put more fish in the river, but if the habitat isn't there, it doesn't matter.

Tribes in Western Washington are catching fewer fish than before the landmark Boldt decision of 1974 because continuing habitat loss is destroying salmon and steelhead runs.

LINK (via: The Seattle Times)

Definition of insanity? Here is a prophetic headline from 2004.

Boldt Decision very much alive 30 years later - The fish bonanza is over; now, preserving habitat is a paramount issue.

LINK (via: The Seattle PI)

The Boldt Decision - The Fish Tale That Changed History

In a recent post, Felice Pace of the KlamBlog speculated that most of those involved in Klamath River and Klamath Salmon issues these days do not know the history of the Boldt Decision. My hunch is that would apply to others involved in fish and habitat issues throughout the Pacific Northwest.

So Felice posted an article from the February 7, 1999 issue of the Seattle called 25 Years After the Boldt Decision along with the following lead.

Those who understand history and its patterns have an advantage navigating the present. This is particularly true for those who are involved in political movements and social controversies. We have that now on the Klamath. While the political and social struggles still center on salmon, the antagonists now are those who seek to control Klamath River water and its management as well as those who own dams and those who seek to remove them.

The issues and politics on the Klamath are similar to those taking place on other rivers where salmon and steelhead conservation meet tribal fishing rights. Anyone out there who is not familiar with the history surrounding the Boldt Decision should read this article. As Felice Pace eloquently states, "Learn the history, it will help you find the right road today."

25 Years After the Boldt Decision - The Fish Tale That Changed History