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 established 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.

  • Fin Fish Program Manager – Lummi Nation

    July 11, 2018

    Download Announcement The Finfish Program Manager will manage all aspects of Lummi Natural Resource’s finfish harvest and stock assessment operations (for salmon, steelhead, halibut, herring, hooligans, etc) in a manner consistent with existing tribal harvest and resource protection objectives and policies, domestic and international agreements, and legal and regulatory frameworks. The Manager will coordinate and interact with technical […]

  • Hatchery Manager – Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians

    July 3, 2018

    Download Announcement The Hatchery Manager for the Stillaguamish Tribe is responsible for all aspects of daily hatchery operations and fish culture activities for the Tribe’s two hatchery facilities. These facilities include conservation and enhancement programs for Stillaguamish summer Chinook, fall Coho and fall Chum, and a captive brood program for fall Chinook. Total hatchery releases […]

  • Salmon Recovery Biologist – Suquamish Tribe

    February 28, 2018

    Download Announcement Develops and implements salmon recovery and restoration plans; designs and conducts research and monitoring activities; and represents the Tribe for environmental outreach and education programs and activities supporting salmon recovery.

RSS News from nwtreatytribes.org

  • Monitoring Port Gamble Bay Sediment to Protect Herring Embryos
    Pacific herring populations in Port Gamble Bay have dropped dramatically in recent years, and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and state agencies want to know if contaminated sediment is to blame. The bay was home to a sawmill for nearly 150 years. Creosote pilings, wood waste and polluted stormwater runoff were the site’s legacies until […]
  • Skokomish Tribe, Tacoma Power Partner on Steelhead Repopulation Efforts
    The Skokomish Tribe is collecting winter steelhead eggs from the North Fork of the Skokomish River to help repopulate the run. The egg collection is part of the tribe’s partnership with Tacoma Power to support the steelhead run with natural stock from the river, said Cindy Gray, the tribe’s finfish program manager. As part of […]
  • Being Frank: Cooperation Key to Salmon Recovery
    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 interests and concerns of treaty Indian tribes throughout western Washington. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson didn’t have to take the culvert case all the way to the U.S. […]