The Kitsap Sun reported that shellfish beds in Port Gamble Bay are now open for harvest after 12 years of being closed because of high toxic chemical levels. From the story: A health assessment, completed earlier this year, concluded that toxic chemicals in shellfish from the area were below levels of concern for commercially grown shellfish, […]
Why do tribal members get to come onto private property and harvest shellfish? Washington state is one of the few states in the nation where tidelands are privately owned. Most states have kept tidelands in public hands so everyone can enjoy them. The state sold off the tidelands several decades after the treaties were signed […]
Shellfish have been a mainstay of western Washington Indian tribes for thousands of years. Clams, crab, oysters, shrimp, and many other species were readily available for harvest year-round The rapid decline of many western Washington salmon stocks, due in large part to habitat loss from the region’s burgeoning human population, has pushed shellfish to the […]
OLYMPIA (May 18, 2007) – Puget Sound treaty Indian tribes and commercial shellfish growers have finalized an agreement that will protect and enhance the resource while resolving legal issues from a federal court ruling that re-affirmed treaty-reserved tribal shellfish harvest rights. The pact resolves lingering legal issues from a 1994 federal court ruling that upheld […]
