Podcast: Clam digs bring Upper Skagit tribal members together
Every year, the Upper Skagit Tribe holds a couple of community clam digs for tribal members of all ages. "It's important for our members to get out there exercising our…
Puyallup Tribe livespawns steelhead to give them one more chance
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is employing a special technique to give steelhead that are part of a joint broodstock program one more shot at spawning in the wild
Swinomish Tribe holds blessing of the fleet
[display_podcast] The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community held its annual Blessing of the Fleet and First Salmon Ceremony on Thursday. The celebration, marking the beginning of the fishing season, honors and…
Podcast: Nooksack Tribe revisits traditional dip net fishing
Nooksack cultural resources director George Swanaset Jr. recently made a dip net to demonstrate the traditional fishing method to young adults in the tribe's YouthBuild program
Coastal Tribes Help Protect Public Health
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Protecting the health of Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) tribal members and others is the main priority of harmful algal bloom specialist Jonnette Bastian-James.
Like other coastal tribes, QIN is helping to determine when harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur on the coast and how quickly they affect shellfish eaten regularly by Indian and non-Indian harvesters throughout the region.
James, a QIN tribal member, takes seawater samples year-round on five beaches from Ocean Shores north to Kalaloch where razor clams are harvested. Beginning in the spring, when levels of toxins harmful to humans can begin to rise, she increases sampling to twice a week at the beaches.
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New Podcast: Squaxin Island Tribe clam tagging research
Check out the new podcast on shellfish productivity research by the Squaxin Island Tribe. Tribal researchers are attaching tags to hundreds of South Sound manila clams so they can closely…
Adventures in Coho Stream Surveying
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Jon Oleyar likens his stream surveying to the television show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” But rather than seeking evidence to solve a crime, the Suquamish Tribe fisheries biologist hikes Kitsap County’s streams for evidence of spawned-out salmon carcasses – particularly for coho.
“I feel like I’m part of a CSI team – Coho Stream Investigator,” he said. “Just finding them is the hard part. You have to think like a fish or a predator – ‘Where would I go to spawn?’ or ‘Where would I go to eat this fish?'” (more…)
Collaborative efforts for Elwha River freshwater mussel rescue
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PORT ANGELES (October 16, 2008) – There was a sense of urgency when tribal, state and federal biologists recently snorkeled for 5,000 freshwater mussels along the bottom of a 300-foot-long shallow side channel of the Elwha River. A dredge was slated the next day to dig up the side channel as part of construction of the Elwha Water Treatment Facility.
This mussel rescue was part of larger efforts to prepare the Elwha River for the removal of its two fish-blocking dams; the 108-foot-tall Elwha Dam and the 210-foot-tall Glines Canyon Dam will be removed starting in 2012. The new treatment plant will help filter out river sediment that will be released after the dams are removed. (more…)