Fish vs. Farms on the Skagit Delta

Here is Dave Hedlin's recipe for the side-by-side survival of Skagit Valley farmers and Native American fisheries: "Salmon fettuccine," he says, a smile wreathing his broad face, pink-tinged from summer days spent in his vegetable fields near La Conner.

"You take Skagit salmon, mix it with pasta made from Skagit soft winter wheat, add organic butter and cheese from Alan Mesman's dairy and vegetables grown here in the valley, and you have a perfect dish—all produced within three miles of here." The idea reflects Hedlin's hope that the families who farm the lush Skagit River delta can work with their Swinomish tribal neighbors to see that agriculture and salmon can not only survive but thrive in the same space.