The Kitsap Sun released an article recently about the Skokomish Tribe filing a lawsuit against the state of Washington over hunting rights. The suit involves tribal rights to hunt on "open…
Last fall, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians took a public stand against a proposal by the state of Washington to expand hunting on the fragile South Rainier elk herd.
Now, the tribe of Indians is asking for signatures to a petition to oppose the increase in harvest of female elk from the South Rainer herd near Packwood. The proposal would more than double the number of dead female elk from 35 to 79. The herd numbers fewer than 1,000 animals while the target population is more than 2,100, according to the tribal and state co-managers.
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Treaty Indian Fisheries and Salmon Recovery dispels many of the myths about tribal fishing practices and explains why habitat loss and degradation is the single most significant factor contributing to…
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is opposing a proposed expanded hunt on the fewer than 1,000-animal herd. To decrease the number of human and elk interactions, the State of Washington is proposing an expanded hunt on antlerless elk along state Route 12 between Packwood and Morton. An expanded harvest on the South Rainier elk herd could cause the weak elk population to crash. The herd's target population is more than 2,100, according to the tribal and state co-managers.
NWIFC's 2025 State of Our Watersheds Report is now available as a PDF to download in its entirety (218 MB). A compressed file (25 MB) is available here. Individual chapters…
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) is a natural resources management support service organization for 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Headquartered in Olympia, the NWIFC employs approximately 80…
The Seattle federal court decided in favor of treaty tribes in Western Washington in the so-called "Culvert Case." From the decision: The Court hereby declares that the right of taking…
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 the tribes’ treaty-reserved shellfish harvest rights. The agreement preserves the health of the shellfish industry, recognizes the importance to the tribes of their shellfish harvest rights and provides greater shellfish harvest opportunities for everyone in the state.
The North Kitsap Herald writes about the tagging and clipping efforts by the Suquamish Tribe as they prepare to release chinook from their Grover's Creek hatchery: Tagging the fish and…
OLYMPIA (February 1, 2005) – The treaty Indian tribes in western Washington have named Michael Grayum as executive director of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Grayum, 57, replaces James Anderson, 54, who served as NWIFC executive director for more than 20 years. Anderson will remain with the NWIFC part-time in an advisory role.
Formerly the head of the NWIFC Fishery Services Division, Grayum has been with the organization for 28 years. He was among the commission’s first employees upon its creation following the U.S. v. Washington ruling, also known as the Boldt Decision. The 1974 federal court ruling – later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court – re-affirmed the tribes’ treaty-reserved salmon rights and established them as co-managers of the resource with the State of Washington.