Skokomish Chum Fishery

Every November, the Skokomish Tribal fishermen and women catch hundreds of thousands of Chum salmon in the waters of Lower Hood Canal. The Chum eggs are prized the world over as the best tasting roe of all the salmon species, however there is not a strong demand for the Chum carcasses. It was once thought that throwing the carcasses back into Hood Canal would feed the crab, but it was adding to the serious deoxygenation problem in those waters. Thanks to a federal grant, the Skokomish Tribe is now recycling the Chum carcasses for food banks and correctional facilities. Niki Cleary, Tulalip, reports.