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Reefnet Salmon Fishery Yielding Record Hauls
As the regional, unique reefnet fishery takes a break before resuming in October to catch Coho and chum, reports abound of the largest catches in recent history and, in some cases, ever among the fishers. A report in the Seattle Times details the work of a reefnet gear off Lopez Island. A report on reefnetting in Legoe Bay appears in Crosscut.com.
Recently, a time-honored tradition took place on four gear in Legoe Bay off the coast of Lummi Island. They joyfully and noisily hoisted a broomstick on a tower to indicate they had surpassed a total catch of 100,000 pounds of salmon -- some a mix of sockeye earlier and pinks most recently. One gear reported more than 107,000 pounds. The run of pink salmon has been especially high, and, with strong market demands, has commanded a premium price -- as high as 50 cents a pound.
The season progressed so well that the salmon commission opened the reefnet fishery for 16 consecutive days, which is very uncommon. The reefnetters were hauling up to 25,000 pink salmon a day.
Lummi Island Wild, a co-op reefnet fishing fleet, began its 2011 fishery with a brand-new tender. It is shown here, uploading a tote of wild-caught salmon from the reefnets from the Solar Ice onto a Lummi Island beach.
When the catch is large enough, the Solar Ice, in which the salmon are placed in slush ice, hauls the catch to Bellingham for processing.
Reefnet fishing is a centuries-old, sustainable method for hauling in salmon that has basically remained unchanged through many generations of fishers.
In our July print and online digital editions, commercial fishers and a state conservation expert spoke of the purity of the essence of reefnetting, though limited in scope. It is out-moded in modern Pacific wild fishing methodology and bound by its physical locations (must be conducted in a flood tide) and gear limitations ("it's a Model-A Ford," one professional Pacific fisher commented).
As the regional, unique reefnet fishery takes a break before resuming in October to catch Coho and chum, reports abound of the largest catches in recent history and, in some cases, ever among the fishers. A report in the Seattle Times details the work of a reefnet gear off Lopez Island. A report on reefnetting in Legoe Bay appears in Crosscut.com.
Recently, a time-honored tradition took place on four gear in Legoe Bay off the coast of Lummi Island. They joyfully and noisily hoisted a broomstick on a tower to indicate they had surpassed a total catch of 100,000 pounds of salmon -- some a mix of sockeye earlier and pinks most recently. One gear reported more than 107,000 pounds. The run of pink salmon has been especially high, and, with strong market demands, has commanded a premium price -- as high as 50 cents a pound.
The season progressed so well that the salmon commission opened the reefnet fishery for 16 consecutive days, which is very uncommon. The reefnetters were hauling up to 25,000 pink salmon a day.
Lummi Island Wild, a co-op reefnet fishing fleet, began its 2011 fishery with a brand-new tender. It is shown here, uploading a tote of wild-caught salmon from the reefnets from the Solar Ice onto a Lummi Island beach.
When the catch is large enough, the Solar Ice, in which the salmon are placed in slush ice, hauls the catch to Bellingham for processing.
Reefnet fishing is a centuries-old, sustainable method for hauling in salmon that has basically remained unchanged through many generations of fishers.
In our July print and online digital editions, commercial fishers and a state conservation expert spoke of the purity of the essence of reefnetting, though limited in scope. It is out-moded in modern Pacific wild fishing methodology and bound by its physical locations (must be conducted in a flood tide) and gear limitations ("it's a Model-A Ford," one professional Pacific fisher commented).
