Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

The Swinomish Tribe is developing a subsistence manila clam fishery on Lone Tree Point.

“We’re using habitat we already have to increase opportunities for our tribal members to gather shellfish,” said Lorraine Loomis, fisheries manager for the tribe. “Shellfish always have been part of our traditional diet and culture.”

In 2011, shellfish biologist Julie Barber seeded five test plots totaling 1,000 square feet with good survival …

During the First Stewards climate change symposium last year, Dr. Simone Alin made a well-received presentation describing the process of ocean acidification. Alin is an oceanographer and marine chemist at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle.

As the state of Washington begins to attempt to address an issue that threatens both tribal and non-tribal communities alike, it is a good time to post a link …

Treaty tribes in Northwest Washington are working with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to use caged mussels to analyze toxic chemicals in Puget Sound.

The National Mussel Watch Program, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has been monitoring toxic contaminants in lakes and coastal waters since 1986.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently began a pilot project in conjunction …

The Kistap Sun reported recently that the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and Puget Sound Restoration Fund are working together to restore kelp and oyster beds in Port Gamble Bay. Shellfish are important to the tribe, both culturally and economically.

From the story:

S’Klallam tribe chairman Jeromy Sullivan said putting resources back into the bay is a vital way to maintain the health of future tribal

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The Suquamish Tribe is one of the few tribes in Western Washington to build its own floating upwelling system (FLUPSY), a type of shellfish nursery that is becoming more common for raising clams to seed on beaches.

The tribe constructed a 15-foot by 30-foot floating dock that holds eight bins for baby clam seed. In mid-June, for the inaugural load of seed, two million clams were …

The Skokomish Tribe is targeting several lower Hood Canal beaches for restoration efforts this summer.
Shellfish populations near the mouths of the mainstem of the Skokomish River as well as Rendsland and Twanoh creeks have declined within the last decade, said Margaret Homerding, the tribe’s shellfish management biologist.

“While the habitat restoration work for salmon at the mouths of these waterways has been important, the shellfish …

The Lummi Nation Natural Resources Department is finding out just how much seafood the average tribal member eats.

Seafood consumption rates are used to determine water quality safety standards, but federal and state agencies rely on national studies. Members of fishing tribes in western Washington eat a lot more fish than the average person.

State water quality standards are based on a seafood consumption rate of …

The Peninsula Daily News has a column regarding the upcoming razor clam harvest for Kalaloch Beach.

The Upper Skagit Tribe is cultivating shellfish beds in Samish Bay to meet ceremonial needs, with the intention of expanding eventually into a multi-faceted shellfish growing operation.

The tribe acquired 80 acres of beds with money from a 2007 settlement between treaty tribes and non-tribal commercial shellfish growers. The settlement compensates tribes for lost opportunities to gather shellfish at traditional areas, enabling them to acquire and …

The Seattle Times has a story about state plans to take a look at its water quality standards, after prodding by tribes and other parties.

For the Swinomish of La Conner and other tribes in Washington, local game and seafood are an integral part of every funeral, birthday celebration or other family gathering.

“We were at a clambake one time eating mussels, and I saw this

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