The mission of Enhancement Services is to support the artificial propagation programs of NWIFC’s member tribes, providing technical services in four areas:

• Coded wire tagging of more than 6 million fish at tribal hatcheries to provide information critical to fisheries management;
• Fulfilling tribal requests for coded wire tag analysis;
• Providing genetic, ecological, and statistical consulting for tribal hatchery programs; and
• Providing fish health services to tribal hatcheries in the areas of juvenile fish health monitoring, disease diagnostics, adult health inspection and vaccine production.

Hatchery produced salmon contribute the majority of salmon harvested in Western Washington. Tribal hatcheries continue to play a vital role in supporting tribal fisheries and are now essential for maintaining the tribal right to harvest fish. Tribal hatcheries are also increasingly important in rebuilding depressed wild stocks. Our member tribes currently operate 24 hatcheries, 15 rearing ponds, 5 marine net pens and two remote site incubation facilities. These hatcheries annually release more than 40 million fish.

As part of coded wire and  marking program, the division operates tagging trailers. Here’s a video on the tribes’ automatic tagging trailer:

Automatic salmon tagging trailer from NW Treaty Tribes on Vimeo.