Peale Passage Netpens (Squaxin Island Tribe)
Big thanks goes out to Emmett O’Connell, South Sound Information Officer for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for recording, producing and editing this video fo the Squaxin Island Tribe.
Author Archives: Joseph Peters
Smithsonian Magazine features Squaxin Geoduck Fishery
Glen Parker aboard the Ichiban-Photograph by Natalie Fobes Smithsonian magazine, March 2009
In the March 2009 issue of Smithsonian Magazine, is a great article featuring Squaxin Geoduck Fishery aboard the Ichiban.
Geoducks: Happy as Clams by Craig Welch Smithsonian Magazine
Squaxin Net Pens – Coho Transfer Photos
Thousands of Juvenile Coho in the Squaxin Net Pens
Above is just a snap shot of the 1.5 million coho that will be released in June 2009. On average only 3 % of these released coho will return as adults in Fall of 2010. That is approximately 45,000 adult coho available for harvest by Sport and Commercial fisheries in South Puget Sound.
Squaxin Tribe begins Transfer of Juvenile Coho to Net Pens
The Kisutch transferring coho to the Net Pens.
This week the Squaxin Island Tribe Natural Resources (SINR) and Washington State Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) started hauling the first batch of juvenile coho to the South Sound Net Pens (SSNP) located in Peale Passage. SSNP is a co-managed facility by the SINR and WDFW that has released an average of 1.5 million coho smolt yearly to benefit Sport and commercial fisheries through out the Puget Sound.
Offloading coho into a Net Pen
SINR staff will be monitoring and feeding these juvenile for the next four months;releasing them in June. These coho are at around 31 fish per pound when they arrive and will be released at about 15 fish to the pound. After release these coho will make the journey to the ocean feed for a year and return to the deep South Puget Sound as adult coho in the Fall of 2010.
Coho in the Net Pens. Photo courtesy of Rana Brown-Shellfish
The fish arriving this week are reared at Skookumchuck Hatchery. Early next week we will be transferring fish from Wallace. Stay tuned for more photos!
’08 Squaxin Treaty Net Fishery in The Books, ’09 Fishery Planning Set to Begin
The Squaxin Net Fishery had its ups and downs in 2008. Preseason forecast projected average Chinook returns, below average coho returns and a above average chum run. Chinook returns to deep South Sound ended up being higher that projected with 10,777 adult Fall Chinook returning to Tumwater Falls Hatchery and Squaxin catch of 10,400 Deschutes origin fish. ’08 Forecast for Deschutes Fall Chinook was 13,400. Squaxin Coho fishery resulted in a respectable 35,800 catch (excluding Carr Inlet), projected Squaxin Net Pen forecast was 29K. Chum catches, although seeing lower returns and closing the fishery to reach escapement for Totten, resulted in a 56K chum catch for 2008. Escapement goals appear to be met in Eld, Totten, and Skookum Inlet watersheds.
2008 salmon market was favorable with peak prices for Chinook reaching $4 per pound, coho at $1.80 and chum $0.75. Total number of licensed Squaxin Fishermen was 112.
With the ’08 season behind us brings the 2009 Preseason Fisheries planning. Forecast begin to be shared by the end of January, with the North of Falcon process , salmon fishery negotiations between Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Tribes, in the following months. At the end of April all of the 2009 Washington State Treaty and Non-Treaty fisheries will be set.
Skookum Inlet Fall Chum, Skookum, Little and Elson Creek Lower Returns.
Elson Creek Chum
Skookum Inlet Fall Chum, which return to spawn late November into January in Skookum, Little and Elson Creek appear to be returning in lower numbers. Skookum Fall Chum, not be mistaken for Upper Skookum Fall Chum that return October- December, are a mixed chum stock of Elson Hatchery and wild Chum production. Detailed description of these chum stock is available at WDFW Salmon Stock Inventory (SaSI) .
Recent surveys in Elson Creek have resulted in lower that normal returns for this time of year. We should be seeing a couple thousand chum spawning in Elson in the middle of December. Tuesday December 11th survey had approxamately 377 live and 181 dead chum in the stream. WDFW Skookum and Little Creek counts have been low also.
Lower Fall Chum returns have been a trend through out South Puget Sound this year. One factor that may be contributing to Elson Creek is the very low flows in stream. Usually we see water flowing through the culvert that passes under Lynch Rd. Currently the stream is dry a few hundred yards from the culvert.
Lower Fall Chum Runsize Yields Escapement for Totten/Eld Inlet and Above Average Chum Catch for Squaxin
Reply
Fall chum salmon returned to the Puget Sound in lower abundance than forecast. The 2008 expected Puget Sound fall chum run size was forecast to be around 635,000 chum. In the last 5 weeks the in season run size has dropped to 350,000 chum based on WDFW commercial fisheries and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) run Apple Cove Test fishery up in Marine Area 10.
Recent adult chum spawner survey numbers on Kennedy Creek (and Schnieder Prairie) are indicating that Totten Inlet has reached the needed 14,500 chum for escapement.
Totten Inlet Streams Adult Chum Spawn Survey Data
| Kennedy Creek |
River Mile |
Agency |
Live Count |
Dead Count |
| 10/16/2008 | 0.0-2.3 | WDFW | 159 | 6 |
| 10/23/2008 | 0.0-2.3 | WDFW | 285 | 8 |
| 10/29/2008 | 0.0-2.3 | Squaxin | 1922 | 55 |
| 11/5/2008 | 0.0-2.3 | WDFW | 6262 | 264 |
| 11/18/2008 | 0.0-2.4 | WDFW | 5,833 | 2083 |
| Schnieder Creek | RM | Agency | Live | Dead |
| 11/17/2008 | WDFW | 1,717 | 112 |
Eld Inlet chum appear to be a running a week or two early with Perry and Swift (tributary to McLane) Creek showing good numbers considering the updated lower run size.
Eld Inlet Streams Adult Chum Spawn Survey Data
| Swift | River Mile | Agency | Live Count | Dead Count |
| 11/10/2008 | 0.0-1.0 | WDFW | 2622 | 10 |
| 11/17/2008 | 0.0-1.0 | WDFW | 5262 | 128 |
| Perkins Creek (Mclane Trib) | ||||
| 11/13/2008 | 0.0-0.5 | WDFW | 287 | 14 |
| Perry | ||||
| 11/11/2008 | 0.0-1.0 | WDFW | 2622 | 10 |
| 11/17/2008 | 0.0-1.0 | WDFW | 5933 | 42 |
Eld Inlet escapement goal is 18,500 chum.
Although Fall Chum returns are lower than expected, currently Squaxin Island Tribes 101 licensed fishermen have harvested approximately 43,000 chum so far this season. A five year average using Squaxin chum catches from ’02-’06 results in an average Squaxin Island chum harvest of 32,452. 2007 catch was excluded from this average due to the unusually large returns and Squaxin catch of 150K chum.
Squaxin Island Tribe Chum Fisheries
Squaxin Fish Hotline: 360-432-3899
View Spawning Chum Salmon at Kennedy Creek and McLane Nature Trails
November is an excellent time to view adult chum salmon making their journey to spawn up South Puget Sound streams. Two locations for prime view are at the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail and the McLane Nature Trail.
Kennedy Creek Trail is open to the public from 10 am to 4 pm on the following days in November:
Weekends (11/01/08 – 11/30/08)
Day after Thanksgiving (11/28/08)
Veteran’s Day (11/11/08)
Directions to Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail
McLane Nature Trail is open to the public daily during day light hours. The gate to the park closes a dusk.
Directions to McLane Nature Trail
Kennedy Creek Adult Chum Counts Increasing
Will Henderson surveying Kennedy Creek
Chum salmon are beginning to make their way up Kennedy Creek. This weeks stream surveys have shown increased adult chum with an estimate of 6,262 live and 264 dead chum from the Kennedy Creek falls to the mouth down at Highway 101.
Kennedy Creek Chum
With this increase of adult chum on the spawning grounds of Kennedy Creek, Squaxin Natural Resources will have a 24 hour Chum fishery in Totten Inlet and Pickering Passage 4:00pm Friday November 7th through 4:00pm Saturday November 8th.
Detailed Regulations are available below and at the Squaxin Island Tribe Website.
Emergency Regulation ER-08-12 Chum Totten Pickering Drift Net
Emergency Regulation ER-08-13 Chum Totten/Pickering Beach Seine
A summary of the Squaxin Island Tribal Fisheries is also available on the Squaxin Island Hotline: 360-432-3899
Squaxin Island Tribe Suspends Salmon Fisheries to Meet Totten Inlet Escapement Needs.
Spawned out Chum Salmon
As of 9 AM Sunday October 26, the Squaxin Island Tribe suspended all directed salmon fisheries to ensure that Totten Inlet meets its escapement goal. 2008 Escapement goal for Totten Inlet is 14,400 chum. On Wednesday October 29 Squaxin NR staff walked Kennedy Creek and only counted 1922 live and 55 dead chum.
Doyle Foster conducting an Adult Chum Spawner Survey
These numbers are very low; normally we are seeing 4,000 to 8,000 chums in Kennedy Creek by this week. We are assuming that very low flows (lack of rain) are contributing to the low counts. We are optimistic that with current weather forecast for the up coming week that chum will start to move through the system.
Squaxin Island Tribe Fall Chum Fisheries are based on in-season escapement numbers for each of our inlets. For example, if this weeks Kennedy Creek stream counts were well on the way to the escapement goal, we would have had an opening this week.
At this time we will be holding off any scheduled Fall Chum fisheries until we get another count on Kennedy Creek next week. We will be going out to Kennedy to survey early next week.