| September 1, 2000
News Release King County debuts a new video at Bumbershoot this weekend that documents local residents' emotional, cultural and economic connections to salmon. "Fish Tales" features the heart-felt stories of long-time residents including those who saw chinook salmon that weighed 65 to 85 pounds in local streams. The 30-minute video was produced by One Reel, is hosted by comedian and "Almost Live" alumnus Nancy Guppy, and airs continuously at the arts festival's San Juan Court. With native chinook salmon listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, "Fish Tales" explores what makes people of the Pacific Northwest feel close to salmon through the stories and memories of residents who believe we must save native salmon from extinction. "I've been called a liar until I get my pictures out," Renton resident Homer Venishnick, explains in "Fish Tales." "I've seen fish 85 pounds come out of the river...they'd come up by the hundreds," says Venishnick of the Cedar River. He caught his first salmon 69 years ago. "It was the most exciting thing ever," says Maggie Windus, a life-long Woodinville resident when she discovered large salmon spawning one Thanksgiving in an unnamed stream on the back of her property. "I've seen salmon spawning here for a long time, but this was our creek." "Each group of people had a ceremony that honored the life of the salmon," says Native American Vi Hilbert, an authority on Puget Sound Salish culture. Hilbert explains in "Fish Tales" the reverence paid to salmon by members of local Tribes. Hilbert also recalls her mother's reaction as her father arrived home in his canoe during the 1930s, " I remember her receiving the salmon and lovingly caressing the salmon and kissing it on the nose--it was going to mean our livelihood." "When you move here, go out and see what we have; try to protect it...the habitat's here, we just need to protect what we have left," says Gary Emerson, a member of the Renton Fish and Game Club and a volunteer who works to help salmon spawn and hatch in Cavanaugh Pond. "The fish are strong enough. The fact that they're still alive is a testament to how easily they can be restored, if everybody just shifts their consciousness," says Snoqualmie Watershed resident Andy Weiss. "You can't help but get involved in pretty much everything related to the environment if you're concerned about fish," believes commercial fisherman Pete Knutsen. Knutsen, who is also a cultural anthropologist, believes, "We're really talking about keeping the unique character of this region by saving the fish." "It's just a fascinating connection we have with the rest of the planet, and it's a connection we have through the small little creeks in our backyards," states Bill Conley, owner, Buffalo Bill's Sporting Goods in Issaquah. "Fish Tales" can be seen continuously through the weekend at Bumbershoot in the Orcas Room of the San Juan Court. It will reach a broader audience in October when it will be distributed via the Salmon Information Television network to two dozen local, non-commercial cable stations, including King County's CTV. "Fish Tales" is accompanied by a set of free postcards for residents to share their own salmon stories with friends, family and King County. Viewers can also log onto the King County Website at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/fishtales/ to share their salmon stories. Related Topics Salmon Information Television (SITV) Network
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