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<p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.tworiverstribune.com/"><span
style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=459 height=70
id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CB5E80.91CAE850"
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<h2>Fishy Business<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class=MsoNormal id=top><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><img border=0
width=400 height=266 id="Picture_x0020_4"
src="cid:image003.jpg@01CB5E80.91CAE850"
alt="On Sept. 8, the Hoopa Valley Tribe hosted a special meeting to discuss issues dealing with commercial fishing on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. / Photo by Manuel Sanchez."></span><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=wp-caption-text><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt'>On Sept. 8,
the Hoopa Valley Tribe hosted a special meeting to discuss issues dealing with
commercial fishing on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation.</span></b><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt'> / Photo by Manuel Sanchez.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h4><span lang=EN>Hoopa Valley Tribe to Rethink Fishing Ordinance After
Complaints Surface Regarding Unfair Fishing Claims<o:p></o:p></span></h4>
<p><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt'>By Manuel Sanchez, Two Rivers Tribune
Contributing Writer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>The Hoopa Valley Tribe is a fisheries tribe, but one thing
it hasn’t delved into is selling its salmon on the commercial market. However,
according to members of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council there are plenty of
Hoopa Tribal members doing so, so many, in fact, that the HVTC called a special
meeting on Sept. 8 to discuss the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>The meeting was jam-packed with local Hoopa fisherman,
tribal elders, and employees of the Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Department
(Fisheries). Each had their voices heard, with many criticizing the high number
of fish that are allegedly being sold by Tribal employees, mainly employees of
Fisheries.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“Fisherman were coming to us and complaining that
they weren’t getting salmon,” Nelson said. “They heard rumors
of how many fish were being caught in the gorge and they wanted us to look into
it.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>The HVTC had the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police looked into the
matter. Hoopa Tribal Police Officer Hess and a member of the Tribal
Environmental Protection Agency immediately traveled to the gorge to check the
nets. Hess reported the nets were in compliance with the Hoopa Tribe’s
Fishing Ordinance.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>This report brought uproar from the gallery as many
complained having seen more than the allotted three nets in the gorge. The
Hoopa Tribal Fishing Ordinance (Title 16) states that a Tribal member may have
up to 100 feet of webbing or two nets, and the nets can’t block more than
one-third (1/3) of the river-another issued brought up-changing the ordinance.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>The HVTC not only discussed the possibility of commercial
fishing on the reservation, they also received a proposal to change language in
the Hoopa Tribe’s Fishing Ordinance from Self-Governance Officer, Danny
Jordan. With the new changes, Jordan hopes to clear up some ambiguous language
that will clarify certain aspects of old language and open the new ordinance
for debate.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>The proposed plan would eliminate the 100 foot length limit
and increasing the amount of the river that can be fished to two-thirds (2/3)
is also a proposed option. In a proposed plan, the HVTC is looking to delete
the snagging prohibition and remove restrictions on people being able to make
“improvements” on fishing sites that were damaged by the
construction of the Trinity River Dam.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Some members of the HVTC see this as a rouse for just a
select few members of the tribe to benefit. HVT Councilwoman Marcellene Norton
said the proposed changes don’t address much of the issues and will only
“benefit the few fishing in the gorge.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>When the proposed changes were brought up, many Tribal
members at the meeting were visibly upset and expressed their anger toward the
proposed changes.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Director, Mike Orcutt, stated that
the people fishing in the gorge are following the ordinance and the Hoopa Tribe
isn’t going over its allocated quota of salmon which is 20 percent of the
allotted subsistence fishing, with the Yurok Tribe receiving 80 percent. He
said members of that Tribe are only catching about nine percent of their
allocation, and if they don’t get the numbers up, they could be in danger
of seeing the allocation percentage lowered by negotiation with the Yurok
Tribe.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“We don’t utilize the full allocation of the
salmon,” Orcutt said. “We are struggling with data and have offered
to write grants for fishing.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Norton said she realizes the Tribe has to meet their quota,
but would hope that people who are unemployed could benefit from commercial
fishing, and not just those who “can afford expensive power boats.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Nelson said with many of the Fisheries staff as main
suppliers for local buyers, the HVTC needs to do something to correct what he
feels is a grievous error. Norton and Nelson said they are in support of
commercial fishing, but not at the expense of the Tribe, where only a few
profit.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“This should be made available to all fishermen,
especially those who are unemployed or barely making a living,” Norton
said. “We could sell to meet our quotas and help people make money, which
also includes subsistence and cultural fishing.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>According to Norton, from January through September of this
year, there were over 900 salmon sold to just one buyer on the North Coast, at
a cost of $3 per pound. In 2009, this one buyer bought over $120,000 worth of
salmon from Hoopa tribal members, with the vast majority of them being
employees of Fisheries.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Norton said the buyer told her they had contacted Fisheries
to get the word out that they were looking for salmon, and requested their
contact information be posted at the Hoopa Tribal Police station. The post
would have stated the times the buyer was available to purchase salmon daily,
and where the salmon was going.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>According to HVT’s Title 16, in order for Tribal
resources (i.e. salmon, firewood, mushrooms, etc.) to be shipped off the
reservation, a transportation permit must be filled out and signed off by a
Hoopa Tribal Police. When a permit is purchased, an employee of the Hoopa
Police Department will inspect and document the load before transport.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Many people at the Sept. 8 meeting claimed they did not
know that they could purchase a permit to sell fish. One Tribal member said he
sold $7,000 worth of salmon in 2009, but he was unemployed and that was how he
made a living for his family.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“I would only catch my fish, about the time the water
was too low for the power boats to make it down the gorge,” the fisherman
said.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Hoopa Tribal member Mikey McCovey what said he was upset
about, besides the amount of money being made by a few, was that people put
their lives on the line fighting for fishing rights in the late 1970s and early
1980s and he never saw any of those people selling salmon commercially.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“This is not right, we had families who were putting
their lives on the line, just to catch and eat fish,” McCovey said.
“And now there are people who don’t care about the fish, just how
much money they could make.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Many at the meeting wanted to know where in the ordinance
it states tribal members could sell salmon. One commercial fisherman pointed to
a July, 29, 1989 special election that discontinued the prohibition of
commercial sales of salmon.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Resolution # 89-104 states, “Shall the Hoopa Valley
Business Council, in order to ensure and enhance the preservation of Hoopa
Tribal fishing rights, discontinue the prohibition on commercial fishing on the
Hoopa Valley Reservation and if discontinued by this referendum, formulate with
input from the Hupa people an ordinance which would regulate a commercial
fishery on the Hoopa Valley Reservation.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>The resolution passed by a 152-100 vote, with 765 eligible
voters. For many, the resolution, which has no regulations, has been seen as a
loop hole for individuals to sell salmon for personal gain. Nelson said this
has been utilized only by the people in the know, mainly employees from Hoopa
Tribal Fisheries.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“Regulations should have been created by our
attorneys with input from the council and Fisheries,” Nelson said.
“But at the time, they were dealing with the Hoopa-Yurok Settlement
Act.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>On Sept. 10, two days after the special meeting, Nelson
wrote a memorandum to the Hoopa Tribal Police Chief Robert Kane ordering him to
uphold the fishing ordinance, and placed a hold on the sale of transportation
permits.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Nelson said he wrote that memo because he was concerned
about the well being of fisherman on the river. He was told by numerous people
that altercations were getting out of hand and that people were threatening
others with bodily harm. According to an employee of the Hoopa Tribal Police
Department, no permits have been issued since the memo.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“We were getting rumors of possible violence,”
Nelson said. “People were talking about shooting out boats, so I wrote
the memo to enforce Title 16 for safety.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Nelson said he also wrote the memo enforcing the 1986 law
because he felt as though some individuals were taking advantage of their
position and profiting off the tribe’s resources, adding that under the
1989 vote, it states the Hoopa Tribe would be the sellers for the membership
and that the money could go into the “kitty” for Tribal per capita.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Nelson and Norton are organizing a general meeting on Oct.
2 to meet with the tribal membership and concerned citizens about Title 16, as
well as the proposed changes.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>“To make a few thousand [dollars] is alright, but
there are some who are making tens of thousands of dollars,” Nelson said.
“The council will tailor Title 16 to meet what the majority of the people
want, not just a few.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Nelson said what is most disturbing is that the people who
are supposed to be protecting Tribal resources are the ones who are profiting
from them. He said there are many Tribal members who are calling for select
Tribal employees’ jobs, and said he would like the Tribal membership’s
input on the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>One idea brought up by Norton is to bring buyers to Hoopa
and have them go through a bidding process to purchase salmon. Nelson added to
this by saying there is a great need for monitoring of resources, making sure
the salmon are not being overharvested. He said the HVTC is considering
developing a new department under the Hoopa Tribal Police Department to deal
solely with Tribal resources.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span lang=EN>Nelson said with the majority of the sales in recent years
coming from Hoopa tribal employees who make high salaries and aren’t
required to pay taxes, the HVTC needs to make this system fair for all Hoopa
Tribal members and not those who are sworn to protect the river.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land/fax</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
mobile</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
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