Out with the New And In With the Old: Reviving a Traditional Makah Halibut Hook for Modern Fisheries Management Challenges

Although fisheries challenges evolve rapidly, historical approaches may provide “new” tools for managers. In the state of Washington, the Makah Tribe have used čibu·d, their traditional fishhook, to target Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis long before the advent of modern fisheries. We describe our experience in rediscovering this historical harvesting method, testing the species selectivity, refining the approach, and producing a tool ready for application in modern fisheries management. Over nearly a decade, we were able to uncover substantial traditional knowledge in the community. Turning this knowledge into a reproducible and consistent product for testing proved difficult. Initial attempts to deploy the gear using commercial longlines encountered a range of challenges, but suggested refinements for further research. Subsequent experiments in recreational fisheries were successful due to the lessons learned during initial work. Our experience may be of value to others hoping to investigate historical methods with potential for addressing modern problems.