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Relations between Washington tribes, the state, and recreational fishermen have reached a historic low point after talks over ever dwindling salmon runs reached an impasse, threatening to wipe out this year’s coho fishing season.

State Department of Fish and Wildlife director Jim Unsworth says he walked away from negotiations – known as the North of Falcon talks – last week with other stakeholders because tribes wanted recreational fishermen to essentially give up all coho fishing this year in Puget Sound.

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“We’re always going to be in a place where not everybody gets everything they want, but we need to feel good about what we get,” Unsworth said in an interview with

Everyone agrees coho salmon are in dire straits. Last year, the returns were as much as 80 percent below preseason forecasts, according to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. It was so bad a number of tribes including the Nisqually canceled their coho fishery altogether. Fewer than 4,000 of the 23,000 cohos expected to return did so.

And they’ve already canceled coho fisheries again this year – with salmon runs a tiny fraction of what they once were.

“It’s heartbreaking. The fish, they’re just not coming back,” said Willie Frank III, the assistant manager of natural resources for the Nisqually Tribe.

He’s one of many who help negotiate with the state how much salmon the tribes and recreational fishermen can catch in often contentious talks.

The annual take is based on complex forecasts, modeling and other factors aimed at providing all parties with enough salmon to satisfy their needs while protecting their long-term sustainability.

The failure to reach an agreement with the state this year was extremely disappointing, but the tribes are committed to conserving coho in the long term, Frank said.

“It’s going to be a generation before we probably see our coho back again. So it’s something we need to start now and figure out how to sit at the table and work together,” Frank said.

But it’s not that cut and dry, said Tom Nelson, a lifelong fisherman, guide, and host of the .

He and many others applaud Unsworth for walking away, arguing the tribes for years have asked for far too much sacrifice from recreational fishermen.

Nelson argues there are plenty of hatchery coho and other species, and they should be allowed to catch and release salmon – at the very least – which they insist can be done safely.

“We need to be able to manage our own fisheries. By being able to access these hatchery fish, the state recoups its multi-million dollar investment in selective fisheries. In previous administrations, a bad deal has been better than no deal. And right now Jim Unsworth is really a hero,” Nelson said.

“We can’t continue in this kind of negotiation. It doesn’t feel like co-management,” Unsworth said. “We have some real relationship issues right now. We have some trust issues right now.”

But this is about far more than just the short term and how much you can catch this summer.

Call the coho a canary in a coal mine. The continued decline can be blamed on everything from warming oceans and rivers to widespread habitat destruction contributing to the problems. Even the coho that are returning are 20 to 30 percent smaller than normal and returning females were carrying 40 percent fewer eggs, according to the NWIFC.

Frank and Unsworth agree we have to make some major environmental changes such as restricting development and runoff and significantly restoring habitat to have any chance of preserving salmon for future generations.

“It’s not going to be just the tribal side. It’s not going to be just the state side. It’s going to be that co-management working together to bring this resource back the way it used to be,” Frank said.

The state has not ruled out further negotiations, according to Ron Warren, regional program manager with WDFW. Warren says negotiators were allowing a few days for both sides to “cool off” before trying to get back to the table.

If no agreement can be reached quickly, each party will have to apply to NOAA for an individual permit. While the feds are likely to approve the tribal request quickly, it could take much longer for the state request, putting the recreational season at risk.

“We’re completely in uncharted waters,” said Nelson. “Now there’s going to be intense political pressure on NOAA to approve this package the state is bringing forward.”