Lummi

Read more about the article Dairy Farm Pollution Costs Lummi Nation
An aerial photo shows a manure lagoon at a dairy farm adjacent to the Nooksack River. Courtesy of Kim Koon

Dairy Farm Pollution Costs Lummi Nation

An aerial photo shows a manure lagoon at a dairy farm adjacent to the Nooksack River. Courtesy of Kim Koon
An aerial photo shows a manure lagoon at a dairy farm adjacent to the Nooksack River. Courtesy of Kim Koon.

Whatcom County’s booming dairy and agricultural industry has cost Lummi Nation shellfish harvesters millions of dollars already, and a recent closure of shellfish beds in Portage Bay is adding to the tally.

Manure from dairy cows is discharged either directly or indirectly into the Nooksack River, which flows into Portage Bay. In September, the tribe closed 335 acres of Portage Bay shellfish beds to harvest because of high fecal coliform levels that exceeded National Shellfish Sanitation Program standards. Continued poor water quality led to the closure of two additional areas in December, bringing the total to nearly 500 acres of shellfish beds that are unsafe to harvest. More areas may have to be closed in the coming months if conditions are not improved. (more…)

Continue ReadingDairy Farm Pollution Costs Lummi Nation
Read more about the article Degraded water quality forces Lummi to close shellfish harvest
Lummi tribal members harvest clams in Portage Bay in 2011.

Degraded water quality forces Lummi to close shellfish harvest

Lummi tribal members harvest clams in Portage Bay in 2011.
Lummi tribal members harvest clams in Portage Bay in 2011.

High levels of fecal coliform prompted the Lummi Nation to close 335 acres of Portage Bay shellfish beds in September.

The fecal coliform – mostly from livestock, human and pet waste originating upstream from the reservation – exceeds federal bacterial standards, meaning the shellfish could be unsafe to eat. The voluntary closure affects Lummi’s treaty-protected ceremonial, subsistence and commercial harvest.

“The reservation tidelands are deeply affected by activities along the Nooksack River, which flows into Portage Bay,” said Lummi harvest manager Ben Starkhouse.

Lummi shellfish harvesters lost an estimated $8 million in revenue from 1996 to 2006, when 180 acres of shellfish beds were closed for the same reason.

During that closure, more than $8 million was provided to the region’s dairy industry to stop the discharge of manure into the Nooksack River. But after the shellfish beds were reopened, federal and state assistance with inspections and monitoring was substantially reduced. (more…)

Continue ReadingDegraded water quality forces Lummi to close shellfish harvest
Read more about the article Lummi fishermen pass down reef net heritage

Lummi fishermen pass down reef net heritage

Reef NetLummi Nation tribal fishermen are teaching young tribal members the traditional method of harvesting salmon in a reef net.

The tribe had four new wooden canoes made for reef netting. Traditionally, fishermen suspended the reef net between two canoes.

“It’s an imitation of the seafloor, like a reef, that’s why it’s called a reef net,” said Lummi fisherman Richard Solomon. “Sxwole is what our people called it. It was a gift earned by one of our people, I don’t know exactly how many years ago, (maybe) 200 years ago.” (more…)

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Lummi Nation seeks federal relief following fishery closure

Lummi tribal fishermen prepare a purse seine during the 2011 Fraser sockeye fishery. The tribe has declared 2013 a fisheries resource disaster after poor returns canceled this year's fishery worth $1.3 million.
Lummi tribal fishermen prepare a purse seine during the 2011 Fraser sockeye fishery. The tribe has declared 2013 a fisheries economic disaster after poor returns canceled this year’s fishery worth $1.3 million.

The Lummi Nation is seeking federal disaster relief for its fishing fleet following another year of poor returns of Fraser River sockeye salmon.

In September, the tribe passed a declaration of natural disaster under the federal Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and a fisheries economic disaster under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

Despite a bountiful run in 2010, Fraser River sockeye returns have been declining for 30 years. The U.S. Department of Commerce declared it a fisheries economic disaster in 2002, 2007 and 2008.

There was no commercial Fraser sockeye in 2013. “Our traditional ties to the sockeye are irreplaceable,” said Elden Hillaire, chairman of the Lummi Fisheries Commission. “The lack of harvest interferes with our schelangen (way of life).”

(more…)

Continue ReadingLummi Nation seeks federal relief following fishery closure