Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission 6730 Martin Way E. Olympia, Washington 98516-5540
	Phone : (360)438-1180	FAX : (360)753-8659

Tribal Geoduck Enforcement Ensures a Sustainable Resource

SEQUIM – One by one, boats owned by Lower Elwha and Jamestown S’Klallam tribal members head out of John Wayne Marina on Sequim Bay. Before the geoduck fishery opens at eight in the morning, a half dozen are already floating off Protection Island, waiting for their chance to get a crack at the lucrative clam.

Along with the tribal boats on the water another boat carries tribal enforcement staff and divers from the Jamestown S’Klallam and Lower Elwha Klallam tribes and the Point No Point Treaty Council. The Treaty Council is the natural resources consortium of the Jamestown, Lower Elwha, Port Gamble S’Klallam, and Skokomish tribes.

These enforcement officers will check the sea bottom for evidence of resource wastage, weigh out each boat’s catch and tag the harvest before they return to the docks.

“We have to account for the geoduck from the time they are taken by divers from the sea floor to the point where they are weighed out for sale to an authorized buyer,” said Ann Seiter, natural resources director for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. “The officers watch the geoduck fishery very closely so that the catch is accurately reported and incorporated into management of the resource.”

A major focus of enforcement is the prevention of “high grading.” High grading is a process in which lesser quality geoducks, once harvested, are discarded.

A recent incident, which amounted to less than 50 pounds of geoduck, was discovered on the tribal sections of a geoduck tract off Protection Island, east of Sequim. In accordance with a tribal/state geoduck agreement, this small amount of high graded clams will be deducted from this or next year’s harvest quota.

“It is a credit to our enforcement efforts that we can bring this incident to light,” said Randy Hatch, senior shellfish biologist for the Point No Point Treaty Council. “We found high grading because our divers are constantly in the water. Unfortunately, high grading still occurs, but with our enforcement measures, we can make sure we find it before it gets out of hand.”

"Our fisherman don't know who we might be looking at, they don't know when we're looking and they don't mind," said Tom O'Rourke, geoduck enforcement officer for the Jamestown Tribe. "If someone is breaking the rules, our fishermen want it to stop as much as we do. This is a good group of fisherman."

Because geoducks can't burrow back into the mud after being extracted or having their habitat disturbed, they become easy prey for crabs and starfish, leading to 100 percent mortality. High grading also makes managing the resource harder, as inaccurate catch reports usually result.

Enforcement divers routinely observe tribal divers while they are harvesting as well as checking for other indications of high grading. Seiter points out that because tribal regulations require that enforcement officers weigh out the catch, no geoduck can be offloaded before they are recorded. At weigh outs the enforcement staff looks for higher than usual percentages of good quality geoducks in a diver’s daily harvest as well as performing surprise hold inspections to determine that no geoduck are hidden for sale to unauthorized fish dealers.

“They can’t hide it from us, because we know the tricks of the trade,” said O’Rourke. “I feel very confident about the effectiveness of this compliance and monitoring program.”

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For more information: Ann Seiter, Director, Jamestown S’Klallam Natural Resources. Tom O’Rourke, Jamestown S’Klallam Enforcement, (360) 460-2309. Emmett O’Connell, Information Officer, NWIFC (360) 297-6546.