King 5 News: Blaming tribal fishing practices for decline in salmon is ‘misinformation,’ Washington officials say

By Susannah Frame | April 30, 2021

Soon after KING 5 began running the series “Skagit: River of Light and Loss,” viewers and online readers posted highly-charged accusations on Facebook and sent the same via email – that Native Americans are to blame for the decline in Pacific Northwest salmon species due to abusing their treaty rights, over-fishing and using gillnets.

However, Washington state wildlife officials say these statements are false.

The KING 5 Investigators’ series focused on the three dams on the Skagit River owned and operated by Seattle City Light. The public utility’s dams are undergoing federal relicensing that’s been an adversarial process, with stakeholders calling the city “uncooperative” and “arrogant.”

See Full News story at K5 https://www.king5.com/article/news/investigations/washington-native-american-fishing-practices-salmon-decline-misinformation/281-51bfed5e-e10c-4d51-99dd-210715e0815c