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Indian Fishing Rights: A Lost Opportunity For Ecosystem Management, Martin H. Belsky

Martin H. Belsky

Today, the depletion of salmon and steelhead fisheries in the Northwest United States is a concern not only to commercial fishers whose livelihoods depend on the resource but also to conservationists who fear the endangerment or extinction of the species. The implementation of a comprehensive approach to fisheries management could have reduced this threat of depletion. The federal courts had the opportunity to promote regulation and conservation of the fisheries in two cases, Sohappy v. Smith and United States v. Washington (Boldt), but failed to adopt an effective management model that would address the environmental concerns of the fisheries as …