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 and unclaimed lands”. From the story: The lawsuit claims that actions by state agencies and officials have denied tribal members access to their legitimate hunting […]
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 […]
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 decline of the salmon resource. This 10-minute video explains salmon migration patterns, how tribal fishing nets are used to selectively harvest healthy salmon runs, […]
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 […]
The fifth edition of the Northwest Treaty Tribes’ State of Our Watersheds Report is now available as a PDF to download in its entirety (46 MB) or by individual chapters. The 2020 State of Our Watersheds Interactive Viewer also is available. The State of Our Watersheds Report (SOW) from the 20 treaty tribes in western […]
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 people with satellite offices in Burlington and Forks. NWIFC member tribes are: Lummi, Nooksack, Swinomish, Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle, Stillaguamish, Tulalip, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Nisqually, Squaxin Island, […]
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 fish, secured to the Tribes in the Stevens Treaties, imposes a duty upon the State to refrain from building or operating culverts under State-maintained roads […]
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 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 clipping off their adipose fins, located between the tail and the dorsal fin, will allow both fishermen and other hatcheries to identify the fish. It […]
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 […]
