Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission » Natural Resources

Salish Sea Nations climate change summit April 26-27

Debbie Preston — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:16:18 +0000

Leaders, scientists, policy analysts and legal staff of the Coast Salish Nations will gather April 26-27 to strengthen approaches, relationships and discuss potential issues of the environmental impacts of climate change on tribal natural resources, traditional rights and cultural sustainability.

The two-day Impacts of Climate Change on Our Tribal Lifeways in the Salish Sea Ecosystem Summit begins at 8 a.m. on April 26. To follow a live blog during the conference, go to http://blogs.nwifc.org/climatechangesummit/.

The first day will consist of technical information sharing session on mitigating and/or adapting to climate change impacts. Each session will begin with a presentation, followed by a facilitated discussion with participants. Day two will begin with an overview followed by a keynote presentation on the Swinomish Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

The day will wrap up with a discussion of the impacts of climate change on traditional rights and the legal and policy options available to address the threats.

Tribes’ beaver research featured in Seattle Times

Kari Neumeyer — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:24:52 +0000

The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) has found evidence that beavers living in the tidal marsh are creating prime salmon habitat. The SRSC is the natural resources arm of the Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle tribes.

The Seattle Times reports:

Today, only about 6 percent of the tidal scrub shrub habitat is left in the Skagit River Delta, and that’s better than a lot of places where it’s gone altogether.

So it was here that Greg Hood, a senior research scientist with the Skagit River System Cooperative in La Conner, came to do his research on sweetgale, a shrub that thrives in tidal scrub shrub wetlands.

But the beavers provided the exciting discovery. Searching scientific literature, Hood could find not a single reference on tidal beavers in the United States. What he discovered, too, was the beavers were, well, busily creating nearly ideal rearing habitat for Puget Sound chinook, a threatened species.

In that, Hood found a cautionary tale, about forging ahead with salmon-restoration plans without finding out what was here before.

“Recovery to what, what is your historical baseline?” Hood said. “We don’t know as much as we think we do about what was here before. It’s a kind of ecological amnesia.

“About 95 percent of the tidal shrub wetlands are lost; most people have never even heard of them. You come here, and get a sense of what used to be everywhere. And the next generation that never experienced it, they don’t even miss it.”

Squaxin Natural Resources blog on smolt trapping

eoconnell — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:14:37 +0000

Over at the Squaxin Island Tribe natural resource’s blog, they just added some new content on their smolt trapping efforts.
From the post:

The Squaxin Island Natural Resources (SINR) is currently collecting data to estimate the number of coho salmon smolts outmigrating from Mill, Cranberry, Goldsborough, Schumacher and Sherwood Creeks. These five creeks empty in to Deep South Puget Sound, with in the Squaxin Island Tribes usual and accustom areas.

They also put up a nice video that give’s you a good idea of what the sorting process is like at the traps.

Read the entire thing here.

Smithsonian magazine features Squaxin Island Tribe’s geoduck fishery

eoconnell — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:03:49 +0000

From the Smithsonian Magazine (hat-tip to Squaxin Natural Resources blog):

Craig Parker popped his head above the surf, peeled off his dive mask and clambered aboard the Ichiban. We were anchored 50 yards offshore from a fir-lined peninsula that juts into Puget Sound. Sixty feet below, where Parker had spent his morning, the seafloor was flat and sandy—barren, to unschooled eyes, except for the odd flounder or orange sea pen. Parker’s eyes, though, were well trained. Wearing a neoprene dry suit, he stood in the boat surrounded by the morning’s haul: a glistening payload of an absurdly proportioned shellfish defined by a mass of pudgy, lolling flesh.

Squaxin Island Tribe transfers over 1 million coho to netpens

eoconnell — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:20:18 +0000

From the Squaxin Island Tribe’s natural resources blog:

This week the Squaxin Island Tribe Natural Resources (SINR) and Washington State Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) started hauling the first batch of juvenile coho to the South Sound Net Pens (SSNP) located in Peale Passage. SSNP is a co-managed facility by the SINR and WDFW that has released an average of 1.5 million coho smolt yearly to benefit Sport and commercial fisheries through out the Puget Sound.

There are even more videos and photos here.

And, here’s a ten-minute video of the transfer process.

The Olympian “thumbs down” on racist graffiti

eoconnell — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:53:58 +0000

From Sunday’s paper:

For years there have been people in this community who have held on to their hate-filled beliefs that tribal fishers should not be allowed to harvest fish from the Nisqually. Courts have ruled otherwise, noting that treaties from the mid 1800s clearly give American Indians rights to fish and harvest other natural resources “in common” with settlers.

…

The wars against American Indians are over, and the sooner people move beyond their hatred and intolerance, the better for everyone.

Tribes have hope for Obama

eoconnell — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:15:51 +0000

The Daily Herald of Everett:

The new president has been in office for less than 24 hours, but the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission is wasting no time in making their requests for the next four years.

In fact, the commission, which represents 20 tribes in the Pacific Northwest, including the Tulalip, Stillaguamish and Sauk Suiattle tribes in Snohomish County, submitted a 16-page document with recommendations to President Barack Obama early this month. Among the requests are a bid for an extra $12 million per year for the commission, and the adoption of a formal policy supporting tribes in their management of natural resources.

For the commission and many tribal leaders in the region, Obama’s presidency signals a new era that could mean more respect for tribal treaty rights.

Tulalips aid in resource protection

Kari Neumeyer — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:08:42 +0000

The (Everett) Herald:

Tulalip tribal members may soon be allowed to harvest medicinal herbs and other plants used in spiritual ceremonies from the Mount Baker- Snoqualmie National Forest.

Late last week, tribal leaders announced an agreement they reached with officials at the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest that kicks off a joint effort to protect natural resources held sacred by local tribes.

The agreement was years in the making, according to a statement released by the Tulalip Tribes.

Bringing Focus

Billy Frank, Jr. — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:17:25 +0000

It was a meeting long overdue.

Representatives of the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington sat down for the first time in a public meeting with the entire Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission – the panel that sets policy for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

As co-managers of the natural resources in western Washington, tribes talk frequently and work closely with WDFW staff. Over the years tribes have met with individual and small groups of Fish and Wildlife Commissioners, but had never met publicly with the full commission until now.

We asked for the meeting to build on the cooperative working relationship between the tribes, commission and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Whether it’s co-management of salmon, elk or shellfish, we work best when we work together.

We had some important issues to talk about at the meeting.

One was selective sport fisheries. These are fisheries that target adipose fin-clipped hatchery fish and require non-clipped wild fish to be released. The tribes are not opposed to selective fisheries, but we are concerned about their possible impacts to wild salmon. We think that if you design a fishery around catching and releasing wild salmon you need to be pretty darn sure you know how many of those released wild fish are going to die.

These fisheries are popular with sport anglers because they allow fishing in areas that would otherwise be closed due to highly mixed concentrations of healthy hatchery stocks and weak wild stocks. Monitoring of these fisheries has revealed wildly differing impacts to released wild salmon. In one fishery, an average of seven or eight sub-legal sized wild salmon were being hooked and released by anglers before they were able to land a hatchery salmon they could keep.

It was agreed that more monitoring is needed to effectively gauge the effects of these fisheries on the weak wild stocks we are all trying to protect. And that’s an important point. We all want the same thing, whether Indian or non-Indian: healthy salmon populations that can support harvest.

We also agreed on the need to enhance the public transparency of the co-management process, especially in the process known as North of Falcon, in which tribal and non-tribal salmon fisheries in western Washington are developed each year.

We like having the public know what’s going on during the salmon season setting process, and we are committed to sharing information. Fish and Wildlife commissioners indicated they want to take a more active role in the North of Falcon process, and we welcome their involvement.

Our joint meeting was held at the Squaxin Island Tribe and was open to the public. TVW was on hand to record the meeting, which can be viewed at www.tvw.org. We think citizens who better understand fisheries management can engage more effectively in the public process.

We were encouraged by the meeting and heartened by the commitment of the Fish and Wildlife Commissioners to continue working on our working relationship. For the sake of the fish and wildlife in western Washington, we intend to make sure these meetings keep happening.

Billy Frank Jr. is the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

(END)

For more information, contact: Steve Robinson or Tony Meyer, NWIFC, (360) 438-1180.

Times features tribal reliance on natural resources

Tiffany Royal — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 18:53:17 +0000

The Seattle Times published a story focusing on the Skokomish Tribe and how the health of Hood Canal is affecting the tribe’s way of life…

HOOD CANAL — It’s a small harvest, but a prized one: fewer than a dozen or so Dungeness crabs, hoisted fresh from the steel-gray water onto the deck of the Grey Whisper.

Into the cooler they go, scrabbling with futility against its slick sides, destined for people who count on Skokomish tribal fisherman Tim LeClair to keep this traditional food on their tables.

Blackmouth health advisory coverage

admin — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 21:48:33 +0000

Yesterday the state Department of Health release an advisory on eating blackmouth (resident) chinook. A couple of places covered the tribal angle pretty well.

Seattle Times:

The biggest impact from the advisory could be among Puget Sound tribes. While wild chinook are protected under the Endangered Species Act, tribes catch tens of thousands of hatchery chinook in Puget Sound. It’s an important source of income for tribal members. And the fish are important to their culture, traditions and ceremonies.

Georgiana Kautz, the natural-resource manager for the Nisqually Tribe, is livid about the pollution in the fish. But she was also mad about the Health Department warning. “You’re still scaring people,” Kautz said.

Tacoma News Tribune:

The advisories were unwelcome and upsetting to Georgiana Kautz, a Nisqually Indian who manages her tribe’s natural resources.

The Health Department’s recommendation could affect the marketing of the Nisqually catch, she said.

“People will back off of eating salmon. I think that’s totally wrong,” she said. “I don’t see our people getting sick from fish. I see them getting sick from a lot of other things, not the salmon.”

Tulalip Tribes react to fishing lawsuit

admin — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 18:33:05 +0000

Everett Herald:

A lawsuit that aims to reduce the number of Puget Sound chinook salmon caught by fishermen could spell the end of what has been a traditional way of life for the Tulalip Tribes for more than 10,000 years, tribal officials say.

A group of environmentalists and sport fishermen is suing the federal government, saying a recovery plan for endangered chinook does not do enough to restrict fishing in the Pacific Northwest.

If fishing restrictions become any more severe, the Tulalip Tribes’ last commercial fishing boats may have to shut down, said Terry Williams, the Tulalip Tribes’ commissioner of fisheries and natural resources.

“We’ve reduced our fishing by 80 to 90 percent,” Williams said. “We can’t scale back any more. There just isn’t anything left.”

Being Frank: A Traditional Belief

Billy Frank, Jr. — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:49:13 +0000

OLYMPIA (September 29, 2006) ― There is a traditional Indian belief that we do not actually own the land. We are part of it, and it is part of us. We are all temporary tenants and we’re responsible for its care.

It’s a concept that is as valid today as it has ever been. If people can begin to understand their connection to the earth, they will treat it with much greater sensitivity than they have over the past century.

These are the thoughts that come to me when I think about the so-called property rights initiative, I-933, which will be on your general election ballot in November.

To say I believe you should vote no on I-933 would be an understatement. You should vote “hell, no!”

I-933 is far more dangerous and damaging than you might think.

Other states, particularly Oregon, are seeing the horrible impacts of similar initiatives in the form of skyrocketing expenses and litigation. If this ill-advised initiative were to pass in Washington, heaven forbid, you will see more of the same. This is an initiative that would dismantle land-use rules designed to protect clean air and clean water. It will harm the land and it will steal quality of life from our children.

This initiative requires state and local governments to exempt property owners from any land use, zoning or environmental law adopted or changed since 1995, unless they pay the property owner for any impacts on property uses or values. It also applies the “exempt or pay” approach to any limits on logging, to shoreline protections, water-use laws, agricultural practices and many rules that help keep toxic chemicals out of rivers, streams, and Puget Sound. The Initiative requires extremely extensive, unnecessary and unpaid-for studies before your city, county or state government representatives can enact any laws to protect the land we all share.

Frankly, I-933 would eliminate the tools needed to provide badly needed protection of the environment and natural resources that sustain us all.

The Department of Ecology says I-933 would require it to either reimburse landowners, or not enforce the federal Clean Water Act. The Puget Sound Action Team says the initiative will greatly impair the shellfish and tourism industries, and may result in additional “dead zones” in Puget Sound like the ones in Hood Canal and off the coast. The initiative would seriously affect the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s ability to protect fish life and would gut Washington’s forest practices laws. I-933 would cost taxpayers billions of dollars. In fact, the Office of Financial Management has estimated it would cost state agencies more than $2 billion over the next six years alone. It would cost cities another $3 to 5 billion and counties another $1.5 billion. It’s a recipe for governmental bankruptcy and fiscal disaster. Initiative proponents don’t tell us where all the funding is supposed to come from, but taxpayers have a pretty good idea. They know I-933 would cause all of us financial hardships, even as it destroys public services.

Proponents of I-933 claim it would save farmland. But as farmers read between the lines, they realize it would actually cause far more agricultural land to be converted to subdivisions. They’re abandoning the ship, and joining us in calling I-933 what it is—a very bad initiative.

Billy Frank Jr. is the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

(END)

For more information, contact: Steve Robinson or Tony Meyer, NWIFC (360) 438-1180

Bellingham Herald: Nooksack salmon habitat restoration set to begin

admin — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:52:53 +0000

Bellingham Herald:

The few spring chinook salmon that make it back to their spawning grounds on the Nooksack River’s south fork next year will be returning to comparative luxury.

Deep pools, abundant cover and cool water will greet them at the mouth of Hutchinson Creek near Acme. It will be a vast improvement over the current arrangement – the creek now resembles a quiet side street merging straight into the south fork freeway.
Nooksack and Lummi tribal natural resources workers will start this summer on one of the biggest salmon habitat restoration projects in the region in an effort to revive dwindling stocks of spring chinook salmon and bull trout.

The project is expected to cost at least $1 million, paid for by federal salmon recovery grants.

The Status of State/Tribal Co-management of Natural Resources/Environment.

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 18:36:28 +0000

Yesterday Billy Frank Jr, Dr. Jeff Koenings of WDFW and Jay Manning of DOE were panelists discussing the current state of tribal/state co-management. Listen here.

…

King 5: Nisqually River late coho

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 16:11:37 +0000

The Nisqually Tribe is continuing their work tracking the late Nisqually coho run. King 5:

For years biologists worried that a small run of Coho salmon on the Nisqually River had gone extinct.

Well, guess who’s back!

Toboton Creek teems with salmon every fall, but by the time the winter sun arrives low in the sky, the salmon runs are over.

It took volunteers like Mary Fitzpatrick and Cheryl Stephan to confirm that the late Coho run is back.

Heavy stream flows are making it almost impossible to see the rare fish now, but when you add the first sightings made last year and Mary’s sighting this year, biologists are confident the species they worried had gone extinct is making a comeback.

“We’ve known they had existed, but we didn’t have the information or data to really support what we thought,” said Georgette Kautz, Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources.

Here is the original press release.

Tribal co-management on TVW

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 22:06:14 +0000

TVW will broadcast a hearing of the State Senate Committee on Natural Resources regarding state/tribal co-management at 8 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5. (Will be posted here).

The tribal panel will be comprised of Mike Grayum of NWIFC, Dave Sones of Makah, David Troutt of Nisqually and Terry Williams of Tulalip. The state panel is to be comprised of Jeff Koenings and Phil Anderson of WDFW.

The actual hearing will be held at the school theater at University Prepatory School in Seattle Wednesday, November 30 at 7 pm. It is open to the public and public testimony will be accepted.

Tribes’ Landmark Salmon Recovery Project Already Paying Off

admin — Thu, 03 Jul 2003 19:00:00 +0000

Deepwater Slough restoration shows quick results for salmon, especially chinook

LA CONNER (July 2, 2003) — A decade-long tribal effort to restore wild salmon habitat in the Skagit basin is

paying rich dividends after just a few years.

The Skagit System Cooperative, the natural resources consortium of the Swinomish, Upper Skagit and Sauk-Suiattle tribes,

has been working tirelessly to restore crucially important estuaries. The Deepwater Slough project, one of the largest dike

removal programs in North America, saw SSC team with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers to remove more than two miles of structures to open up hundreds of acres of historic fish habitat.

When the project was completed in 2000, SSC took charge of monitoring its progress. Three years later, the results are

in: the Deepwater Slough restoration has been a great success for fish, wildlife and the ecosystem as a whole.

Stream Walkers: Hoh Tribal Staff Take Annual Tally Of Spawning Salmon

admin — Mon, 24 Jun 2002 19:00:00 +0000

HOH (June 24, 2002) — One of the most productive coho streams in the Hoh River system runs next to one of the most popular hiking trails in the world.

Taft Creek, a spring-fed tributary of the Hoh River on the Olympic Peninsula, flows entirely within the Hoh Rain Forest nature trail system in Olympic National Park. Thousands of visitors each year walk next to the one-mile long stream, often oblivious to the fascinating life cycle happening right next to them.

But when natural resources employees from the Hoh Tribe are doing their annual spawning surveys, that life cycle is brought to the attention of park visitors. It means surveyors like Monty Arthur also get to do a little salmon education.