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.

  • Fisheries Technician 1, 2, 3 – Quinault Indian Nation

    August 22, 2019

    FT & Seasonal Available JOB SUMMARY Fisheries Technician 1 level: This is an entry-level position with responsibility for performing a variety of semi-skilled and semi-technical tasks relating to fisheries management. Assist in stream and clam bed surveys, brood stocking, catch sampling, marking and tagging fish, and recording field data into notebooks. May work independently for […]

  • Fisheries Management Biologist – Hoh Indian Tribe

    August 12, 2019

    Download Announcement This is a professional, administrative level fisheries management position for the Hoh Tribe focusing primarily on harvest management activities. Under the supervision of the Natural Resources Director, and with appropriate Tribal policy input, the Fisheries Management Biologist will apply sound biological principles to the management of salmon and marine fish populations in the […]

  • Timber, Fish, and Wildlife Biologist – Hoh Indian Tribe

    July 24, 2019

    Job Title Timber, Fish, and Wildlife Biologist Department Natural Resources Reports To Director, Natural Resources Status Permanent/Full Time Salary Range D.O.E./Q. Location Hoh Tribe Reservation and Usual and Accustomed Treaty Area of the Goodman, Hoh, and Kalaloch Basins Summary The Hoh Tribe has been an active participant in the Timber\Fish\Wildlife (TFW) accord since 1988, devoting […]

RSS News from nwtreatytribes.org

  • Smallest Residents of Watershed Key Indicators of Overall Watershed Health
    The Quileute Tribe wants to know if two streams have improved since 2014 when biologists and volunteers gathered insects that provide a window into stream health. Recently, a crew of Quileute natural resources staff, volunteers and biologists with several cooperating agencies sampled Bear Creek to gather all the water insects, or macroinvertebrates, in several sections […]
  • EPA sacrifices human health for short-term profit
    Being Frank is a monthly column written by the chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. As a statement from the NWIFC chair, the column represents the natural resources management interests and concerns of the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are outraged that the Environmental Protection Agency is […]
  • Skokomish Tribe Makes Sure Hood Canal Shellfish is Safe to Eat
    The Skokomish Tribe is making sure that the water emptying into Hood Canal is safe for tribal members and recreational users. For years, the tribe has been testing for the presence of E.coli and fecal coliform in streams that empty into the Skokomish River and Hood Canal. Nonpoint source pollution primarily is the source, typically […]