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.

  • Seasonal Natural Resource Technician, Restoration – Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC)

    July 29, 2021

    Download Announcement Provide field work for SRSC programs to support implementation and maintenance of native plant revegetation and other habitat restoration projects.

  • Fisheries Research Scientist 1-2-3 – Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians

    July 29, 2021

    Download Announcement The Fisheries Research Scientist 1-2-3 position is part of the Mission of the Natural Resources Department to protect and enhance the Tribe’s treaty rights. The position is responsible for actions associated with the research, protection and recovery of salmonid populations within the Stillaguamish Watershed, specifically in relation to the Tribe’s fisheries management and […]

  • Accounts Payable & Grants Data Technician

    July 29, 2021

    Download Announcement Work collaboratively with accounting and grants management staff to ensure accounts payable (AP), sub-recipient performance monitoring, and grants administrative duties are achieved. This entails performing a variety of duties involved in the monitoring, tracking, collection, interpretation, recording, and filing of data.

RSS News from nwtreatytribes.org

  • Practicing for the Unthinkable Can Improve Survival for Fishermen
    If your fishing boat is on fire, it can be hard not to panic and make a crucial mistake. White smoke often means an electrical fire. One of the most important first steps is to turn off the electrical systems of the vessel so there is no additional spark. A fishermen’s safety class can help […]
  • Squaxin Island Continues Work to Reestablish Olympia Oyster Population
    Squaxin Island tribal member Mike Peters recalls processing Olympia oysters in a floating hut in Eld Inlet decades ago for the family shellfish business. “It was a lot of work, but that was my job, helping get the oysters ready for market,” Peters said. His great-grandmother, Molly Peters, taught many others how to raise shellfish. […]
  • Clam Hungry No More
    After months of toxin-induced closures, Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) diggers got a chance to harvest razor clams during brief openers in April, May and June. Domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin in shellfish that doesn’t harm the clam but can sicken or kill humans, was present in amounts too high for digging for most of […]