Fishing for a Living

Fishing for a living in Puget Sound has been a way of life

for thousands of years. The Native Americans took much

of their food from the sea. When white people came

to the Pacific Northwest, they also fished for food and

for profit as well. Today many people continue to make

their living harvesting seafood from Puget Sound. They

trap crabs, dig clams and oysters, and catch fish. Many

people also use the waters of Puget Sound to grow

clams, oysters, and salmon in hatcheries.

A Fisherman’s Viewpoint

Although harvesting sealife has always been hard work,

it has never been more difficult than now. The once

abundant Puget Sound marine life has been depleted

by overharvesting, pollution, and habitat destruction.

Wild salmon populations have decreased dramatically.

Recently, wild Chinook salmon were placed on the

Endangered Species List by the United States

government. Other species such as rockfish and

lingcod are showing signs of decline and may become

endangered. Many shellfish-growing areas have been

closed to harvesting because of contamination problems.

The people who depend on Puget Sound for harvests

of fish and shellfish say it is getting hard to make a

living. Every year they pay high expenses for boats,

crew, licenses, and fuel, but their catch is often small.

Sport fishermen also say that the catch is scarce. They

also pay for licenses, but their other costs are not as

those of great as the commercial fishermen.

Treaties made long ago with Native Americans entitle

them to half of the salmon resource. They are also

concerned about the decline of salmon in the Pacific

Northwest. Sometimes there is conflict between sport,

commercial, and tribal fishermen as each group believes

strongly in their right to fish for salmon.

There are many harvest regulations for both sport and

commercial fishermen. These rules limit where, when,

what, and how much they may catch. Sometimes

salmon harvest is closed altogether. Salmon are also

affected by problems on land such as dams, timber

harvest, and land development.

Point of View:

Fisherman

Lesson 15

Examining a Real Environmental Problem

Resource: Ecosystems Teachers Guide Pgs.160–172

---

Changes and Tradeoffs

How do you think these solutions might help

improve Puget Sound?

What are the tradeoffs for these solutions?

Fishermen Can Contribute to Puget

Sound’s Problems

Here are some problems that may be created by fishing:

Not everyone agrees about how much salmon should

be caught. It is hard to predict accurately how many

salmon are available for harvest each year.

Salmon hatcheries may not be a good thing. When

they grow and release many salmon, it encourages

heavy harvesting which damages wild fish

populations.

Fishermen, like all of us, live on land. They

produce garbage and sewage, drive cars

and boats, and create pollutants that affect

the Sound.

How Can Fishermen Help Puget Sound?

Here are some things fishermen can do to help

Puget Sound:

•

Some people believe that stopping all harvest of

salmon, other fish, and shellfish would help the

populations rebuild. This seems to have worked

when we have stopped salmon harvest in some

areas. But what will you and fishermen do while they

wait for salmon and other fish populations to recover?

•

Fishermen know the waters and creatures of Puget

Sound very well. By sharing your knowledge and

working cooperatively with scientists, you can help

find solutions to the decrease in marine life.

•

Fishermen can help elect officials who will work to

protect Puget Sound.

•

Fishermen must be sure to obey regulations about

dumping sewage and garbage from boats, spilling oil

or gas, and overharvesting sealife.