The Nez Perce Tribe has opened a commercial season on steelhead in the Snake and Clearwater rivers that could include the use of gill nets.

The tribe shared its intentions to open five short commercial and ceremonial and subsistence steelhead seasons this month during a recent conference call with fisheries managers from Idaho, Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The first of those seasons opened Wednesday morning and runs through Friday. Other seasons could be held between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday through Oct. 16, Oct. 20 to Oct. 23 and Oct. 27 to Oct. 30.

The surplus of hatchery salmon and steelhead is split evenly between tribes and sport anglers, but the tribe has traditionally not taken its share of the steelhead run.  The tribe has said a commercial gill net season would allow it to begin approaching its share of available fish.

Gill netting is controversial because the nets kill all the fish that become entangled in them - that means some federally protected wild steelhead and fall chinook are likely to be taken in the fishery.