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.

  • Temporary Assistant Wildlife Technician – Swinomish Tribal Community

    May 24, 2019

    Download Announcement This position will support research and management of game species with an emphasis on black-tailed deer and elk. Download Application

  • Conservation Technician Intern – Swinomish Tribal Community

    May 23, 2019

    Download Announcement The Conservation Technician intern provides assistance to the Land Management and Environmental Protection Departments. Field visits and maintenance to Tribal properties on- and off-Reservation including: improved and unimproved properties, tidelands, recreation, and conservation areas to ensure proper use, management, and that authorized activities are conducted in accordance with Tribal policies.

  • Administrative Policy Analyst – Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Commission

    May 16, 2019

    Download Announcement Provide leadership and policy analysis in the areas of employment law, and financial and insurance regulations. Will also assist the Commission in implementing various human resource functions.

RSS News from nwtreatytribes.org

  • Lummi Nation reopens spring clam harvest in Portage Bay
    Portage Bay opened to Lummi clam diggers on a sunny afternoon in April for the first time since 2014 when the beds were closed because of fecal coliform contamination. Closing 820 acres of shellfish beds from April through June left Lummi tribal members with no opportunity to harvest there during daylight hours. “Now, when the […]
  • Tribes outraged by EPA move to rescind water quality standards
    Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington were shocked and disappointed to learn that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back Washington’s water quality standards that were the most protective of human heath in the nation. “This action is outrageous,” said Lorraine Loomis, chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. “Like all federal agencies the […]
  • Stillaguamish estuary restoration gives juvenile salmon more places to rear
    Juvenile salmon are using the new habitat at zis a ba in the Stillaguamish estuary, where the Stillaguamish Tribe restored tidal flow in October 2017. Formerly part of the tidal marshes connected to Port Susan and south Skagit Bay, zis a ba had been isolated from the river and tides by a dike built more […]