From the desk of Evan Robb

For the second year in a row, Lummi Island Library (Whatcom County Library System) has built upon its Washington Rural Heritage collection by documenting the history of reefnet fishing around Lummi Island, Washington. First practiced by the Lummi Indians using cedar nets and stone anchors, this salmon fishing technique saw a resurgence in the early 20th century; as many as 70+ reefnet boats once set their gear around the Inner Puget Sound, and a small number of reef netters still practice today.

The Friends of the Island Library (FOIL) led this 2008 grant project, bringing together a truly diverse set of materials, most of which came from the private collections of island residents. The new collection includes: maps showing reefnet gear locations in various years; records of the Puget Sound Reefnetters Union; images of traditional fishing gear; and a variety of documents telling the story of a 1954 initiative which threatened to eliminate the reef net fishery altogether.

Perhaps the most exciting material in the new collection comes in the form of roughly 50 oral histories recorded by islander Kim Gardner, daughter of a reefnet fisherman and reef netter herself. Kim sat down with a number of veteran fisherman this summer and got their stories about everything from the evolution of reefnetting techniques, to record catches, to legal battles surrounding the reefnet industry.  Below are some of our favorite interviews (when the record displays, click on “Access this item” to download the mp3):

• Roger Granger, on camaraderie and competition of reef net fishing in the 1950s.
• Andy Yurovchak, on counting fish for the Pacific Salmon Commission.
• Gary Poole, remembering a fishing accident (warning: not for the faint of heart).
• Jerry Anderson, on Initiative 192.

View Lummi Island Library’s entire collection at: www.washingtonruralheritage.org/lummi. To view their newest 2008 grant material, click here.