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.

  • Wildlife Technician II – Lummi Nation

    August 10, 2022

    The Natural Resources Wildlife Technician II will work in the Lummi Natural Resources (LNR) Department under the direct supervision of the Wildlife Program Manager (WPM). The incumbent will also assist Stock Assessment, Restoration, and Water Resource programs and operate under those programs supervisors when needed. The incumbent will perform a variety of technical monitoring, data […]

  • Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator – Lummi Natural Resources Department (LNR)

    July 25, 2022

     JOB SUMMARY: The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Coordinator is a professional level position that will be assigned projects that are a high priority for the Lummi Natural Resource (LNR) Department. Under the direction of the Fisheries Harvest Manager, the AIS Coordinator will oversee all aspects of LNR’s response to the invasion of European green crab […]

  • Research Natural Resource Technicians – Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC)

    June 20, 2022

    Download Announcement Provide support to a variety of SRSC projects and its diverse staff in the collection and compilation of samples and/or data required in the implementation diverse suite of salmon specific research projects.

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  • Being Frank: Tribes Need to Be at the Table to Conserve Wildlife
    Being Frank is a column written by Chairman Ed Johnstone of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. As a statement from the NWIFC chairman, the column represents the natural resources management concerns of the treaty tribes in western Washington. Treaty tribes have been working for decades to get federal support for our essential wildlife programs. We’re […]
  • Bull trout help examine the health of the Dungeness River
    The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and its state co-manager, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), hope learning about the condition of the Dungeness River bull trout population also will inform them about the health of the river. While the tribe does not fish for bull trout, it can have a major impact on species the […]
  • Spawning Herring Important for Marine Lifecycle
    The Port Gamble S’Klallam and Nisqually tribes are studying herring spawning in Puget Sound, with hopes of eventually rejuvenating the population. Herring are a crucial food source for other species, including juvenile and adult salmon. They are high in fat, which juvenile chinook salmon need when migrating to the ocean, said Hans Daubenberger, the Port […]