Water Samples

Tribes to gather water quality info during Canoe Journey for second year

Tribal canoes are participating in a water quality study in partnership with the USGS for a second year. Five canoes will tow water quality probes during the annual Tribal Canoe Journey, which culminates at Suquamish Aug. 3-8.

The Daily Herald:

To learn about what happens on and in the water, one of the best places to be is in the belly of a canoe — about a foot away from the surface, moving more slowly than most other vessels. That’s why federal scientists have asked tribal canoeists, for the second year in a row, to help them find out more about the health of the water in the Puget Sound region. (more…)

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Pollution Limits Shellfish Harvest In Dungeness Bay

SEQUIM (September 11, 2003) – All of Dungeness Bay will be closed to shellfish harvesting this upcoming winter, eliminating oyster and clam gathering opportunities for Indian and non-Indian harvesters. The Washington Department of Health officially closed the bay to tribal and non-tribal shellfish harvests from November through January, when water quality fails state and federal standards.

That’s a big blow to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, which has always depended on the bay for shellfish. Not only does the Jamestown Tribe harvest clams and oysters along the beach for ceremonial and subsistence purposes, the tribe also operates a commercial shellfish farm in the bay. During the three-month closure, which coincides with the holiday season when clams and oysters are in high demand, the
tribe misses out on much-needed revenue.

(more…)

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