Harvest Division

VISION

Develop and implement a harvest monitoring program that incorporates treaty fishing rights, as guaranteed under the Treaty of 1855, with allocation and conservation issues to maximize the Nez Perce Tribe fishing opportunities in our reservation and at all usual and accustomed fishing areas.

GOALS

1. Develop and implement a biologically sound harvest monitoring program.

2. Develop, implement, and maintain harvest strategies that are consistent with Treaty Reserved fishing rights, U.S. versus Oregon case law, and other applicable case law.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The Nez Perce Tribe reserved significant fishing rights in treaties with the United States.  Implementation and protection of those rights requires successful cooperative management of the fisheries resource and an accurate accounting or tribal harvest.

Accurate harvest monitoring is essential to protect the Tribe's treaty rights from infringement from all sources, including efforts by the United States to apply Endangered Species restrictions to our treaty fisheries.  The Harvest Monitoring Program collects and provides harvest data and coordinates with tribal, state and federal entities throughout the Columbia Basin on issues affecting tribal harvest.  Harvest Information will be useful in the multi-agency coordination on run forecasting, inseason harvest management and reporting, and for the formulation of pre-season and inseason fishing regulations by the Tribe.

Harvest monitoring activities are enormous in scope, encompassing fishing activities conducted year-round from the mainstem Columbia River (Zone 6) up to the headwaters of the Clearwater River on the Montana/Idaho border.  Within this area, the Tribe has the reserved right to access fully 50% of the fish available for harvest.  The Tribe is responsible for developing the plans necessary to insure that proposed harvest is biologically and legally sound and that it occurs (i.e., take numbers, locations, dates and gear types) in the manner designed.

STAFF

• David Statler, Division Director

• Aaron Gould Harvest Technician III

• 2 Harvest Technician IIs

• 13 Harvest Bio Aids II's

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

• DRFM Administration Division

• NPTEC, NRS, FWC:  technical recommendations

• Conservation Enforcement:  monitoring and enforcement

• Technical Advisory Committee (U.S. v Oregon)

• U.S. v Oregon:  harvest issues

• CRITFC Fish Management & Science Committee:  technical representation

• Regional harvest management role with IDFG, WDFW, and ODFW, and other tribes

• Fish health issues

CONTACT INFORMATION

Lapwai       208-843-7320 PHONE      208-843-7322 FAX