Enhancement Services
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…
Fisheries Management
The tribes in Western Washington fish commercially, and for subsistence and ceremonial purposes. They fish for all species of salmon and steelhead in marine and freshwater areas of Puget Sound…
2008 salmon fisheries will protect weak wild salmon runs
The tribal and state salmon co-managers have crafted a package of fisheries that will protect weak wild runs of coho and chinook salmon throughout Puget Sound and coastal Washington. The co-managers agreed on a conservation-based fishing package that protects weak wild runs by focusing efforts on abundant hatchery runs. "While the picture for chinook is overall pretty good this year, some fisheries needed to be trimmed from last year's levels to protect weak chinook runs to some rivers," said Lorraine Loomis, fisheries manager with the Swinomish Tribe and lead negotiator for the treaty tribes.
Groundbreaking Research Could Reveal Historical Oxygen Levels in Hood Canal
“This shell work is really groundbreaking,” said Todd Palzer, Washington Department of Natural Resources program operations manager. “It’s never been done before. This helps us tie together the health of North and South central Puget Sound. We hope it will continue in the future as it ties in well with other research that’s being done in Hood Canal and Puget Sound.”
Tracking Skagit River Chum
SKAGIT COUNTY (Feb. 8, 2008) – The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) and the Upper Skagit Tribe are working with biologists at Seattle City Light and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to track the movements of chum salmon that spawn downstream of three hydroelectric dams.
In recent years, chum have become increasingly important to tribal commercial fisheries. To effectively manage chum fisheries, the tribes and WDFW need an accurate count of the chum that return to spawn in the Skagit River. The current method that biologists use to count spawning chum was based on studies done in the 1970s. Since then, the distribution of chum spawning has changed, largely due to changes in the way the dams release water. These changes mean that biologists were unsure how accurate their counts of spawning chum were. (more…)
Early Dungeness Crab Landings Good for Tribal Fishermen
The Dungeness crab fishery is one of the economic pillars for coastal tribal fishermen as well as one of the most dangerous. Most of the money is made in November and December when weather conditions can be the worst. A good year means fishermen can buy new gear or get a better boat to improve their effort the following season.
Pat Neal on the Fish Wars
Pat Neal, a longtime outdoors writer from the Olympic Peninsula had a great column recently about the history of fisheries management and the Fish Wars. Here it is, in its entirety:
Thank you for reading this. Sometimes I think if you didn’t read this no one would. But you do. I know this because you send me the most wonderful cards and letters. For example, lately I was accused of presenting a one sided view of American history where the Native Americans helped the first European settlers in the new world only to be repaid for their kindness by being “wiped off the map.”
The reader(s) complained that this scenario ignores the fact that the Indians were savages known for scalping people, sometimes when they were still alive.
That’s got to hurt however, I should point out, the Indians did not invent the practice of scalping. Back in the dark and distant days of our history, scalping was a common practice of many different races, creeds and colors. White men were known to scalp Indians to claim the bounty. Which begs the question, who were the savages?
Regarding Leadership and Habitat
OLYMPIA, WA (10/19/05)– How do you measure leadership in natural resource management? When it comes to saving the salmon resource, leadership must be measured in terms of heart, concern for our descendants and the ability to demonstrate courage and integrity in the face of great odds.
I have spoken for the salmon for more than 50 years, and I will tell you this: If salmon go extinct, it will be due to lost and damaged habitat.
Salmon Are Killed By More Than Just Fishing
OLYMPIA (April 5, 2005) – Did you take a shower this morning? Eat a bowl of cereal? Drive to work? If you did any of those things, you killed wild salmon.
You see, millions of other folks did the same thing. Together, these and other everyday activities take a toll on salmon and the habitat they need to survive.
No one is telling you to stop showering, eating, driving to work or any of the other things you do each day. So why do some people keep saying that the tribes should stop fishing?
Boldt Brought Management To State
March 31, 2004
This year marks the 30th anniversary of a court decision
that forever changed natural resource management in the
State of Washington – for the better.
Most Washingtonians know Federal Judge George Boldt
re-affirmed tribal treaty-reserved rights to half the salmon
in his famous 1974 decision, and that his ruling established
the tribes and state as co-managers of the salmon resource.
The Boldt Decision has been used to define Indian hunting
and fishing rights cases across the country, as well as to
determine aboriginal rights as far away as Australia.
But what most folks don’t know at all is that the Boldt Decision brought responsible salmon management to the State of Washington.