The Bureau of Indian Affairs is publishing in the Federal Register proposed revisions in the regulations governing fishing on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in northern California
The most significant change is the ban on gill net fishing during the fall chinook run from 9 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Wednesday of each week and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
In December 1981, Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary, Roy Sampsel, visited the reservation and adjoining areas to discuss with the Indian community the state of the fishery resource. One frequent comment made to Sampsel was that the Indians on the reservations were not asked to participate in the writing of the regulations or their subsequent changes. Subsequently, a pamphlet was developed by a committee of Indian fishermen and distributed to the Indian community containing recommended changes, a copy of the existing regulations, and a questionnaire soliciting Indian comments.
Responses to the questionnaire provided valuable information on public feeling. They indicated that a number of changes needed to be made in the regulations both to make them more effective in conserving the resource and to alleviate unnecessary burdens on the persons governed by the rules.
Comments on the proposed regulations should be sent within 30 days of publication to: Sacramento Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Building, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, California 95825. For further information, contact Wilson Barber, Superintendent, Northern California Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs, P.O. Box 367, Hoopa, California 95546, 916/625-4285.
