Being Frank: Fish passage restoration is worth the price
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tribe studying various cockle-growing methods
The Suquamish Tribe is figuring out how to give tribal members more access to cockles by growing their own. “We’re looking at different strategies for enhancing/restoring cockles on Suquamish beaches...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beach restoration to support Lake Ozette sockeye
Root masses like this are covering up gravel beds needed by Lake Ozette sockeye salmon to spawn along the lake’s beach. While most salmon create egg nests in streams, a portion of the Lake Ozette...
View ArticleTribe to manage national wildlife refuges
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe took on management of the Dungeness and Protection Island national wildlife refuges this summer from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The shift came after the Tribal...
View ArticleBeing Frank: Tribes must be at the table when natural resources policies are...
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Students explore salmon-focused career paths at event
Tribal leaders are looking to the next generation to continue the work of recovering salmon, shellfish and wildlife populations. To tackle that work requires sufficiently staffing hatcheries, habitat...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wildlife park introduces tribal fellowship role
A partnership between the Nisqually Indian Tribe and Northwest Trek grew stronger this year when tribal member and elder Rose Wells joined the wildlife park as its first-ever nature engagement...
View ArticlePier upgrades planned to better support Lummi fishing fleet
Lummi Nation’s tribal fishing fleet is set to receive a new pier and docking equipment to support treaty fishing operations for salmon, halibut, crab and other shellfish. The tribe was awarded nearly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Estuary project essential for Skagit River chinook
At Similk Bay on the south side of Fidalgo Island, a habitat restoration project is in the works that could help reverse the trend for the region’s Endangered Species Act-listed chinook salmon...
View ArticleCoho salmon run supports treaty fishing on Elwha River
For the second year in a row, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has been able to exercise its treaty right to harvest coho salmon from the Elwha River after the removal of two fish-blocking dams. A...
View ArticlePartnership takes student science to the beach
When two Pioneer Middle School students picked their way across the tidelands of Little Skookum Inlet earlier this year, they were conducting an experiment—to see if they could protect oysters from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“In the pipeline”: Fish passage projects ramp up
In the effort to recover Northwest salmon populations, restoring access to spawning and rearing habitat is key. The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC), a natural resources management organization...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Estuary restoration efforts working, data shows
After investing millions of dollars to restore the Skokomish estuary, the Skokomish Tribe is monitoring the habitat to measure its success. The tribe purchased and restored nearly 400 acres in the...
View ArticleTribe examines crab conditions before fishing
Fisheries staff from Quinault Indian Nation’s Division of Natural Resources conducted a Dungeness crab test fishery in October, a crucial step for determining whether the tribe’s commercial crab...
View ArticleFish could thrive again after culvert removal
For decades, a culvert on Brighton Creek has blocked miles of salmon habitat, proving a harmful barrier to steelhead, coho and chum returning to the Nisqually River tributary attempting to spawn. Now...
View ArticleBeing Frank: Today’s youth are tomorrow’s environmental stewards
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Elwha River logjams boost salmon habitat
The function of large wood in a river for salmon habitat could be compared to the game Plinko, from the TV show “The Price is Right.” With the wood structures as the bounce points and the water as the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Skokomish River reach gets closeup restoration monitoring
The Skokomish Tribe is gathering detailed data on how the upper South Fork Skokomish River is responding following more than a decade of salmon habitat restoration. “The upper South Fork is basically...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Treaty steelhead fishery provides winter harvest opportunity
Winter steelhead returning to the Skagit River watershed to spawn this year will support tribal treaty fishing opportunities for the third year in a row. These steelhead were an invaluable winter food...
View ArticleBeing Frank: Indigenous Nations unite for salmon recovery
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...
View Article