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.

  • Conservation Fishery Scientist – Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC)

    January 16, 2020

    Job Title: Conservation Fishery Scientist (1-position) Department: Fishery Science Classification: Full-time, regular, non-exempt Salary Range: $74,312-$94,134 (DOE) Location: Portland, OR Job Summary: The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) Fishery Science Department is seeking a full-time Fishery Scientist to manage the Basinwide Supplementation Evaluation (BSE) Project. The BSE Project provides technical support and funding for […]

  • Fishery Technician III – Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC)

    January 16, 2020

    Download Announcement The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission assists four tribes in the co-management of their treaty rights within the Columbia River Basin. The position offered is associated with the Commission’s Fishery Science Department. This research group is engaged in several investigations of stock composition, identification, and structure, as well as development and evaluation of […]

  • Sergeant – Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC)

    January 16, 2020

    Download Announcement The Sergeants serve as a first line supervisor over the patrol division. The Sergeants are responsible for the deployment of enforcement and protective services initiated, associated records and reports, training, disciplinary actions, and keeping the chain of command informed of patrol related matters as they affect the agency.

RSS News from nwtreatytribes.org

  • We Must Demand a Healthy Puget Sound
    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. It would be easy to blame the Puget Sound Partnership’s failure to clean up […]
  • Swinomish program connects modern science with traditional cultural values
    The Swinomish Tribe is educating the next generation of natural resources managers through an indigenous science program called Between Two Worlds. “This program was specially designed to help students learn about contemporary technologies from both Western and Indigenous paradigms,” said Jennifer Willup of the Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) education program. “The goal is […]
  • Makah Tribe Interns Gain Real World Science Experience
    The Makah Tribe has been providing tribal youth with opportunities to work with real-world data, in hopes it will spark an interest in a career in environmental science and natural resources management with the tribe.  Through the tribe’s summer internship program, four high school and college-aged students got a six-week crash course on what it’s […]