Nisqually Indian Tribe members fished for chum salmon this winter thanks to a robust return of the species to the Nisqually watershed.
Fishers braved brisk winter temperatures, thrilled to be out for the tribe’s first winter chum fishery since 2017. Three fisheries were held across December and January, with tribal fishers catching more than 2,000 chum.
This season’s escapement—the number of fish that return to their spawning grounds—exceeded 90,000, which places it among the top four in the last 40 years.
Nisqually fisherman Willy Squally, who participated with his son in the fishery, said getting on the water to fish for this run is deeply rewarding.
“It’s knowing what we are doing to manage is helping make sure this run is there for our kids, Squally said. “If we don’t have anything, they don’t have anything.”
The return is the result of years of careful management, said Craig Smith, finfish harvest manager for the tribe, with fisherman and elder Rueben Wells Sr. advocating to restrict preterminal fisheries aimed at fall chum, arguing that they were catching winter chum as well. Genetic testing and other data proved Wells Sr. correct.
“Driven by Rueben Wells Sr.’s persistence to protect winter chum from outside fisheries, we have worked really hard for over a decade to get better management on chum fishing before they get to the river, too,” Smith said. “It’s this combination of conservative management meeting the opportunity of great ocean conditions.”
Most of this year’s spawning took place on the Nisqually River’s mainstem, but fortunately there weren’t rain or snow events to wipe out the redds, or egg nests, Smith said. This year’s return will provide useful data for the future, too. The tribe collected 600 scale samples, which will yield data about the brood’s productivity. Some of that data indicates a positive outlook for the next chum return, Smith said.
Above: Nisquallly tribal fisher John Scott pulled in several chum salmon as the tribe held its first winter chum fishery since 2017. Story and photo: Trevor Pyle
