The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) is a natural resources management support service organization for 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Headquartered in Olympia, the NWIFC employs approximately 65 people with satellite offices in Burlington and Forks.

NWIFC member tribes are: Lummi, Nooksack, Swinomish, Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle, Stillaguamish, Tulalip, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Nisqually, Squaxin Island, Skokomish, Suquamish, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Quileute, Quinault, and Hoh.

The NWIFC was created following the 1974 U.S. v. Washington ruling (Boldt Decision) that re-affirmed the tribes’ treaty-reserved fishing rights. The ruling recognized them as natural resources co-managers with the State of Washington with an equal share of the harvestable number of salmon returning annually.

Read more on our About Us page.

  • Habitat Technician IV – Skokomish Indian Tribe

    September 14, 2018

    Download Announcement The habitat technician will support the habitat biologist with many habitat related issues. Primarily, the individual will be responsible for helping to implement the monitoring of the Skokomish Estuary Restoration Project, which is part of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Action Agenda (50%). The additional 50% of the time the technician will be responsible […]

  • Finfish Biologist – Skokomish Indian Tribe

    September 14, 2018

    Download Announcement Will assist with projects being conducted by the Finfish Program Manager; specifically, collect and summarize commercial tribal salmon catch and biological data to meet commercial fishery sampling goals. Assist the Salmon/Steelhead Biologist with a long-term salmon/steelhead population assessment project. For job requirements and application deadline http://www.skokomish.org/employmentrfps/

  • Administrative/Contract Support Specialist – Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC)

    August 24, 2018

    Responsible for tracking department budgets, contracts, and expenditures. Will provide administrative and contract support to the Fishery Science Department Manager and Project Leaders. For job requirements and application deadline http://www.critfc.org/blog/jobs/administrative-contract-specialist/

RSS News from nwtreatytribes.org

  • Tribal statement on new Pacific Salmon Treaty agreement
    Statement on US/Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty New Annex & Chapters Agreement (2019-29) from W. Ron Allen, PSC Alternate Commissioner: Threatened Puget Sound chinook will benefit from a new 10-year management plan developed under the U.S./Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty, said W. Ron Allen, Chair/CEO of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, who serves on the bilateral Pacific Salmon […]
  • Western Toads Support Healthy Ecosystems
    Summer youth interns and staff from the Quinault Indian Nation and the Squaxin Island Tribe met on the Satsop River to survey western toads, an important indicator for our local ecosystems. “These toads can tell us a lot about the health of a forest and a river,” said Erica Marbet, a hydrologist with the Squaxin […]
  • Students Take Home Important Message From Steh-Chass Camp
    Tribal youth attending a two-day camp on the shores of Budd Inlet learned how ecology and traditional tribal knowledge are intertwined during an hour-long tree tour. Instructors described the life history and environmental needs of native trees, as well as the ways tribes traditionally used the tree and its cultural meaning. “It isn’t enough for […]