Big Fraser River salmon run a boon to Swinomish

This year's Fraser River sockeye salmon run is shaping up to be a historic one, which is big news for the Swinomish Tribal Community.

After years of low runs, this year's run is estimated to reach about 34 million, a boon that is expected to benefit the tribe financially and culturally.

"It's been a very big year for the sockeye tribes. For a lot of them, this is their bread and butter fisheries," said Gary Graves, the fishery programs director at the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. "This is where they make their money. The last three years have been dismal. ... This has been a bright spot."

If current estimates of this year's run hold steady, it will be the largest run of fish returning to the Fraser River since 1913. Graves said this year's run is part of the Adams River run, a subgroup of the Fraser River run that has been fruitful.

"Usually the Adams River is the strongest of the four-year runs ... This happens to be the cycle that is doing better," he said.

This year's run is dramatically larger than last year's, which topped out at just over 1 million fish. Runs in recent years have been so poor that then-U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez declared the Fraser fishery a disaster in 2008, and allocated $2 million to tribes and commercial fishermen to make up for the loss of income.

Last year's run was much lower than the anticipated 10 million; this year's was much larger than the forecast 11 million.

The Swinomish is one of nine tribes in Western Washington that has treaty rights to catch Fraser River sockeye in U.S. waters before they migrate upstream. Their fisheries are limited to certain dates throughout the season.

Members of the tribe catch the sockeye, then sell them. The fish are also frozen and used all year for celebrations, funerals and ceremonies.

An agreement between Canada and the U.S. allows the U.S. about 16 percent of the Fraser River run.

---

Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com