Fishermen's Evaluation of the Management of Fisheries in the Puget Sound (Paperback)

Fisheries in the Puget Sound have existed for thousands of years and are an important resource for tribal fishermen, sport fishermen, and the commercial fishing industry. In recent years the management of the fishery has become a source of controversy. Several fish stocks have been depleted due to over-fishing and habitat degradation. In 1974, the Judge Boldt Decision led to a major turning point in the approach to fisheries management. This decision reaffirmed tribal fishing rights, including their right to co-manage the fishery in cooperation with the State of Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife. With the tribes and the State acting as co-managers, the sport and commercial fishermen have little input in the fishery management decisions. Since the sport and commercial fishermen bring in revenue through fishing licenses, which is then used to help manage the fishery, the State may be interested in maintaining these experiences. Therefore it is important to know the attitudes and experiences of all fishermen with respect to fisheries management. To obtain this information, a survey of 50 local fishermen was conducted during the 2007 summer fishing season. The results of the survey indicate that there are statistically significant differences between tribal and non-tribal perceptions of fisheries management, especially of the Judge Boldt Decision and the effectiveness of the co-management of the fishery. The co-managers have made considerable progress at managing and improving the fishery, but more needs to be done on managing the resource users. This finding highlights the need for a greater understanding of local fishermen attitudes to create fishery management plans that will be successful in meeting the expectations of these fishermen as well as in maintaining this important resource for future generations.