Fishermen Demand Changes to Salmon Laws
Local fish dealers urge the legislature to end the ban on spring fishing, arguing it does not protect spawning runs.
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The run of steelhead salmon is now dropping off, but plenty are still being caught to supply the demand. Prices have advanced slightly, 7 cents per pound now being the wholesale quotation for steelheads with heads off. The fish dealers are anxious to have the legislature change the law prohibiting salmon fishing from March 1 to June 1, as this is not the spawning season and the law is no protection to the fish, but operates to the detriment of the fishing industry. They maintain that a law protecting the salmon in the fresh water streams from October 1 to November 15 is what is required, but no protection is needed for those in the salt waters.
“The fish dealers are anxious to have the legislature change the law... as this is not the spawning season.”
The tension between commercial fishing interests and conservation regulations has been a central theme in Pacific Northwest civic life for over a century. These early arguments about 'spawning seasons' versus 'saltwater access' set the stage for the complex management of salmon populations we face today.
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