Video: Lummi Nation releases a million coho yearlings
Every year, the Lummi Nation releases a million coho yearlings from its Lummi Bay Hatchery in two batches of 500,000 fish. The fish are spawned at the Lummi Bay Hatchery…
Facing Climate Change features Swinomish Tribe in video
The documentary team of Benjamin Drummond and Sara Joy Steele featured the Swinomish Tribe in a video on the Facing Climate Change website. Facing Climate Change: Coastal Tribes from Benjamin…
Nisqually Tribe tracking salmon through Ohop Creek
The Nisqually Indian Tribe is hoping to learn some lessons about habitat restoration from salmon moving through an important tributary to the Nisqually River. Tribal researchers are using Passive Integrated…
Earthfix: Squaxin Island Tribe investigates Johns Creek conditions after the fire
Earthfix has the news on the aftermath of the Powerline 2 fire on the Johns Creek watershed: “The fire burned all the way down to the water,” says John Konovsky,…
Video: State of Our Watersheds at Salmon Homecoming
The treaty tribes in western Washington recently came together at Salmon Homecoming in Seattle to launch the State of Our Watersheds report.
Lummi Nation determined to protect Cherry Point
Lummi Nation leaders and tribal members gathered last week to address the importance of protecting the natural and cultural heritage of Cherry Point (Xwe'chi'eXen). North of Bellingham, Wash., Cherry Point…
Treaty Tribes release the State of Our Watersheds Report
Ongoing damage and destruction of salmon habitat is resulting in the steady decline of salmon populations across western Washington, leading to the failure of salmon recovery and threatening tribal treaty rights, according to a report released today by the treaty Indian tribes.
The tribes created the State of Our Watersheds report to gauge progress toward salmon recovery and guide future habitat restoration and protection efforts. It tracks key indicators of salmon habitat quality and quantity over time from the upper reaches to the marine shorelines of 20 watersheds in western Washington. The report confirms that we are losing salmon habitat faster than it can be restored, and that this trend shows no sign of improvement.
“Indian people have always lived throughout the watersheds of western Washington. We know these places better than anyone else because they are our homes,” said Billy Frank Jr., a Nisqually tribal member and chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. “This State of Our Watersheds report clearly shows that we must reverse the loss and damage of habitat if the salmon, our cultures and our treaty-reserved rights are going to survive.”
Explore the entire report in our interactive map viewer here.
Keep Our Seafood Clean: Puget Sound Partnership on the fish consumption rate (and a video)
Over at Keep Our Seafood Clean, you can read all about the Puget Sound Partnership's strong position on raising our unrealisticly low fish consumption rate. And, to learn more about…
New Video: Traditional Food Night at Paddle to Squaxin 2012
Dinner last night at the Paddle to Squaxin 2012 celebration included traditional foods, including salmon, deer and clams. The special meal was part of a multi-day Potlach Protocal, culminating the intertribal event.
The video below features some of the cooks preparing the evening’s meal: (more…)
Opening up Midway Creek gives salmon more habitat
The Squaxin Island Tribe joined the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, Simpson Lumber and the Green Diamond Resource Company to open almost a mile of salmon habitat by removing two fish-blocking culverts.
The culverts blocked Midway Creek, a tributary to Goldsborough Creek and ran underneath a railroad owned by Simpson Lumber, which is contributing significant funding to the project. The Green Diamond Resource, a sister company to Simpson, is also provided important support to the project.
“Midway Creek is relatively undisturbed, so fish will be able to use excellent habitat when we’re done,” said Sarah Zaniewski, a salmon biologist with the tribe. The enhancement group and the tribe replaced two undersized culverts with one 14-foot-wide culvert that will provide a more natural stream channel.
“In addition to some great spawning habitat, the fish that make it up Midway Creek will also have access to deep rearing pools and wetlands,” said Brian Combs, biologist for the enhancement group.
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