eDNA: A hands-off science for species detection
The Suquamish Tribe is using environmental DNA (eDNA) to figure out which fish are using the Doe Kag Wats watershed, including small tributaries, wetlands and an extensive estuary system. Off-channel...
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Camp reconnects tribal members with camas
Leaning forward, Gordon Max Najera Jr. of the Port Gamble S’klallam Tribe used his weight to push the sharp edge of a ground-lifting tool into the soil. An avid clam-digger, he said he saw similarities...
View ArticleChief Leschi hatchery provides hands-on lessons
This spring, students at the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ Chief Leschi Schools pulled on boots and trekked with buckets to a nearby stream to release salmon they’d raised themselves. For the chum salmon,...
View ArticleTribe partners with paper mill to monitor European green crab
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is partnering with a Port Angeles paper mill to expand invasive European green crab monitoring. “After we found a female green crab in the lagoon next to the McKinley...
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Students assist European green crab effort
When Taholah High School students spread out near the Quinault Marina in April armed with crab traps and clipboards, they were collecting data to fight an urgent threat to the ecosystem: the...
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Giving Olympia oysters a hand in Discovery Bay
Older Olympia oysters from Discovery Bay. Discovery Bay’s expansive mudflats along the Olympic Peninsula have fostered the recovery of native Olympia oysters. The population has grown to more than...
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Eelgrass mitigation project a growing success
Along Ediz Hook, a large spit that extends around Port Angeles Harbor, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and partners started an eelgrass restoration project in 2017 that has flourished beyond their...
View ArticleBeing Frank: Endangered Species Act petition is a distraction from...
Being Frank is a column by Chairman Ed Johnstone of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. As a statement from the NWIFC chairman, the column represents the natural resources management concerns of...
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Port Gamble S’Klallam, nonprofit partner remove derelict crab pots
The heavy breaths of a diver come over the intercom on the F/V Cadence, telling the deck crew what he’s seeing at about 100 feet deep in North Hood Canal. The diver, David Blackshaw, is looking for a...
View ArticleFor Quinault Indian Nation, razor clam survey a crucial tool
Fisheries staff from the Quinault Indian Nation and others gathered on Kalaloch Beach early on a July morning to perform a task that would yield valuable data: Using pumped-in seawater to liquify...
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Tribes collaborate to test invasive crab trapping method
Lummi Nation Aquatic Invasive Species Division staff deployed a series of innovative “crab slab” traps around the Lummi Sea Pond in July to test whether the new inventions can assist in removing...
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Vessel turn-in program prevents marine pollution
Boats that fall into disrepair pose threats to fish, shellfish and the broader marine ecosystem. That’s especially true of derelict vessels that have broken away from their mooring or are otherwise...
View ArticleBeing Frank: Federal funding supports tribal hatcheries that benefit everyone
Being Frank is a column by Chairman Ed Johnstone of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. As a statement from the NWIFC chairman, the column represents the natural resources management concerns...
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FISH WAR documentary coming to regional film festivals
FISH WAR is coming to film festivals in western Washington and Vancouver, B.C., in September and October. This documentary film, produced by Northwest Treaty Tribes Media and North Forty Productions,...
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Tribe exploring water quality, fish health link in Skagit Bay
To better understand how the health of Skagit Bay shifts over time and how changes correlate with the health of treaty resources, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is for the first time gathering...
View ArticleClimate Commitment Act funds study strengthened with tribal knowledge
The Hoh Tribe is producing a climate change assessment combining the stories and knowledge of tribal members with hard data. The tribe used Climate Commitment Act funding to hire recent University of...
View ArticleClimate Act boosts Quinault’s climate change fight
Thanks to funding made possible by the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA), the Quinault Indian Nation’s mission to face climate change head-on has gained more momentum. Quinault recently announced...
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Whatcom Creek fish provide opportunity for tribal families
For the first time, members of the Nooksack Indian Tribe were able to fish for hatchery chinook salmon returning to Whatcom Creek this fall. From Bellingham’s Holly Street upstream to a bridge over the...
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Climate funding supports tribal resiliency projects
For years, tribes in western Washington have been gathering data on how climate change affects their tribal members, but there hasn’t been much funding available to support implementing mitigation and...
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What would it mean to repeal the Climate Commitment Act?
The state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) provided $3.2 billion to the 2023-2025 budget, generated by auctioning off emission allowances to businesses that produce greenhouse gases. Of this, $153...
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