Pacific Salmon reefnet fishing is a historical Pacific Northwest salmon fishing method. Pulleys haul up the net with fish.
Wild Pacific Salmon reefnet fishing is a historical Pacific Northwest salmon fishing method. It has been practiced for centuries by the Native American tribes of the Puget Sound and farther north along Vancouver Island. Native peoples used cedar canoes and cedar nets to catch wild Sockeye and other wild Pacific salmon. Today, though the boats are bigger and winches are now used to pull in nylon nets, the fishing method practiced by the Lummi Island Wild Coop of fisherman off of Washington State has remained fundamentally unchanged. Fisherman still stand on towers, waiting to spot a school of Sockeye, Chinook, Pink, Coho or Chum salmon swimming along the reef and over the small net suspended between two boats. This process is incredibly selective, as spotters can identify the exact type of fish swimming below. When a school of salmon is observed, the net is quickly pulled up and the fish are gently spilled into a netted live well to relax after a brief struggle. This process is not only humane but allows for the dissipation of bitter lactic acid built up in the salmon flesh, which results in a sweeter flavor. The fish are then sorted and any unwanted species that may have been caught (called “by-catch”) are harmlessly diverted back into the water. The remaining salmon are bled by cutting a gill and placing them in another live well to swim until dead. This fishing method not only treats the salmon with the utmost reverence and respect but also the other fish caught inadvertently.
Size: 4196px × 2792px
Location: Legoe Bay, Lummi Island, Washington, USA
Photo credit: © Edmund Lowe / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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