Gitxsan consider service disruptions targeting CN Rail and other companies in northwestern B.C.

After serving eviction notices on July 10, the Gitxsan First Nation has warned it could begin service disruptions targeting companies operating the the Skeena River watershed.

Rail, logging, and sport-fishing companies operating along the Skeena River watershed could be targeted beginning the first week of August.

LINK (via: Straight)

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)

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