Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org
Protecting Natural Resources for Everyone nwtreatytribes.org A news service of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission nwifc.org
Other estuaries across the country have navigated wastewater management challenges similar to what Puget Sound is experiencing. Tribes are leading the way to find solutions. nwtreatytribes.org/nutrient-exc...
Nutrient Exchange connects wastewater experts to help keep estuaries clean - Northwest Treaty Tribes
Treaty tribes are leading the effort to prevent harmful nutrients in wastewater from flowing out to the sea where they…
nwtreatytribes.org
Not much is known about the juvenile stage of a Dungeness crab's lifecycle, so Point No Point Treaty Council scientists are sorting through sediment and seaweed to gather data on the tiny critters. nwtreatytribes.org/the-forgotte...
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is waiting for the federal administration to approve the transfer of 1,100 acres of federal lands back to the tribe, lands that include the tribe's creation site, plus old fishing grounds and village sites. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Elwha River dam removal project nears capstone with land transfer to tribe
The return of more than 1,000 acres of federal land to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is a major milestone in the Elwha River's restoration.
seattletimes.com
Quinault Indian Nation and Hoh Tribe fisheries staff liquefy portions of sand on Kalaloch Beach for Quinault's annual razor clam survey this year. Staff count and measure any clams that float to the surface, the process used to calculate the clam season's total allowable catch.
The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe has serious concerns about the loss of funding for the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, which supports long-term valuable data sets that the tribe has been building for a decade. nwtreatytribes.org/tribe-feelin...
Salmon swimming upstream in the Dungeness River this summer and fall were able to get through normally troublesome areas with help of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and partners improving the habitat. nwtreatytribes.org/salmon-in-du...
The Swinomish and Squaxin Island tribes are among those fighting a new federal interpretation of the word “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. The change limits habitat protection and will have devastating impacts on the recovery of imperiled species like Pacific Northwest salmon. nwtt.co/pq
Native nations sue over Endangered Species Act changes - High Country News
The Trump administration’s interpretation of “harm” under the ESA could devastate the recovery of imperiled species, many which have cultural,spiritual and relational meaning and importance for tribal citizens.
hcn.org
The Quinault Indian Nation is examining the impact of invasive European green crab on native Dungeness crab populations. The study could carry important implications for crab fisheries. #treatyrights nwtreatytribes.org/quinault-tra...
Quinault trapping invasive crab data - Northwest Treaty Tribes
Quinault Indian Nation staff strapped on mud boots and strode into the tideflats near Ocean Shores late this summer to…
nwtreatytribes.org
The Suquamish Tribe and Puget Sound Restoration Fund are trying different outplanting techniques for cockles, growing them in PVC tubes similar to how shellfish farmers in Puget Sound raise geoduck. nwtreatytribes.org/partnership-...
The Stillaguamish Tribe last week breached a section of river to open habitat for salmon and restore natural floodplain processes for the long-term health of the ecosystem. www.kiro7.com/news/local/l...
Largest restoration project on Stillaguamish River completed to help endangered salmon
The Stillaguamish Tribe completed its largest restoration project on the Stillaguamish River on Friday, when water from the North Fork rushed into a side channel for the first time in more than 150 years.
kiro7.com
A Skokomish tribal member shares his career path toward natural resources, starting with the military as a Chinook helicopter mechanic, then finding an interest in environmental science after exercising his treaty rights as a salmon fisherman. www.fws.gov/story/2026-0...
Story of Service: From Chinook Helicopters to Chinook Salmon | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
An official website of the United States government
fws.gov
The tribes are grateful for the legislators and agencies supporting efforts to better manage seal and sea lion populations that threaten salmon recovery. www.eopugetsound.org/article/cong...
Congress debates lethal removal of seals and sea lions in Puget Sound | Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
A proposed amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act has renewed a debate over the merits of killing seals and sea lions to protect salmon. Proponents say it will help some endangered salmon populations while opponents say the legislation is misguided and likely to be counterproductive.
eopugetsound.org
Funding is at risk for the Tulalip Tribes' years-long study on juvenile salmon marine survival—a crucial stage that helps predict whether those salmon will return to their home rivers to spawn. nwtreatytribes.org/funding-in-p...
Funding in peril for marine survival research - Northwest Treaty Tribes
The Tulalip Tribes and partners secured funding to continue monitoring juvenile salmon marine survival through 2027, but the future of…
nwtreatytribes.org
If we want to recover salmon listed under the Endangered Species Act, we must consider the ecosystem imbalance caused by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. youtu.be/NYOTO_LYoi0
THE SEA LION DILEMMA - Finding the Balance
How two landmark conservation acts, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, unintentionally collided—leaving salmon, steelhead, tribal cultures, sport and commercial fishers and coastal communities caught in the middle. This mini-documentary addresses an incredibly complicated fish and wildlife dilemma and proposes a pathway to balancing two protected species existing in an ecosystem forever altered by man.
youtu.be
A canoe landing and tribal songs and dances were part of the Seattle waterfront on Saturday as the 34th annual Salmon Homecoming celebrated Indigenous culture.
This marks the sixth year in a row that chinook have died in large number before spawning in the South Fork Nooksack River, where warm water and pathogens are a deadly mix for fish. nwtreatytribes.org/die-off-inte...
Die-off interrupts chinook spawning in South Fork Nooksack - Northwest Treaty Tribes
Despite ongoing efforts to provide cold-water shelter at Lummi Nation’s Skookum Creek Fish Hatchery and to rebuild habitat throughout the…
nwtreatytribes.org
Canoe families are expected to take part in the 34th annual Salmon Homecoming on Saturday at Pier 58 and 62 on the Seattle waterfront, an event that brings together tribal songs, dances and vendors www.kiro7.com/news/local/s...
Salmon Homecoming returns to the Seattle waterfront
The festival also marks the final summer season programming event supported by Friends of Waterfront Park, symbolizing the end of summer and the return of the salmon.
kiro7.com
Food, hands-on science and music will be offered at the Nisqually Watershed Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.
To restore estuary habitat for chinook salmon, the Sauk-Suiattle and Swinomish tribes have been awarded a $4.2 million in grant for a project in Similk Bay. #treatyrights larsen.house.gov/news/documen...
Larsen Applauds $4.2 Million for Local Salmon Passage Restoration
Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) is awarding $4.2 million to the Skagit River System Cooperative (Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community) for restoring fish passage to support Similk Estuary Chinook salmon.
larsen.house.gov
It's been a beautiful journey watching the statue of Billy Frank, Jr. come to life. www.youtube.com/watch
Part IV: The Statue | Billy Frank Jr. Statue Project
How does a foundry cast clay into bronze? The process might surprise you. In this video, learn how the artist Haiying Wu worked with the team at Classic Foundry to cast the clay model of Billy Frank Jr. into a stunning bronze statue. Along the way, you will learn about Billy's lasting significance through historical footage and the voices of people who knew and loved him. Produced by Setting Sun Circle, with additional footage by the Architect of the Capitol. Learn more about: Nisqually Indian Tribe: http://www.nisqually-nsn.gov/ ArtsWA: https://www.arts.wa.gov/ The Billy Frank Jr. Statue Project: https://www.arts.wa.gov/billy-frank-jr/
youtube.com
The growing invasion of European green crab in Puget Sound is a threat to treaty fisheries and aquaculture resources. Across the region, tribes like the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community are working to monitor and control the spread. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/c...
Racing to Contain Invasive Green Crabs in Puget Sound
Tribes and scientists are mounting an urgent trapping effort to keep European green crabs from devastating a corner of Puget Sound.
nytimes.com
The tire chemical 6PPD-Q is deadly for coho salmon—and tribes are among those on the front lines fighting it. thenarwhal.ca/bc-coho-salm...
B.C. salmon are dying from a toxic tire chemical, 6PPD-Q | The Narwhal
B.C. salmon researchers are now testing waterways to look for 6PPD-Q, a chemical used in tires which can be lethal to coho salmon
thenarwhal.ca
“It hurts us to know that our salmon are getting killed." Federally protected chinook salmon were among the fish found dead in Lake Washington under Sound Transit's new light rail tracks this summer. tinyurl.com/2frju5dj
Federally protected Chinook salmon among dead fish under I-90 light rail
The discovery of threatened salmon among the fish killed has unsettled those who have fought to rebuild or save struggling salmon in the Lake Washington watershed.
tinyurl.com
The Hoh Tribe has partnered with Trout Unlimited to install 22 engineered logjams to improve fish habitat in Owl Creek. A new video explores the partnership and project—which is already showing exciting results. www.tu.org/magazine/con...
Restoring Owl Creek | Kʷokʷolísdo Ḳ̓á Yika Xa’bil-ts - Trout Unlimited
(“Kʷokʷolísdo Ḳ̓á yika xa’bil-ts” means “restoring Owl Creek” in Quileute, a Chimakuan language traditionally spoken in coastal indigenous communities. The
tu.org
The Hood Canal has experienced significant low dissolved oxygen levels lately, resulting in a fish kill as large numbers of marine life washed ashore this weekend. www.king5.com/article/tech...
“We’re always looking for different ways to use this drone technology.” Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians staff members deployed a high-tech drone to protect elk calves during mowing. #elk #wildlife nwtreatytribes.org/stillaguamis...
Stillaguamish Tribe uses drone to protect elk calves - Northwest Treaty Tribes
The Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians used a drone equipped with a high-resolution thermal imaging camera to identify and protect elk…
nwtreatytribes.org
The Makah Tribe's treaty right to harvest gray whales depends on the survival of the species itself. www.king5.com/article/tech...
Record gray whale deaths hit close to home for Makah Tribe
Thirty gray whales have been found dead in Washington this year. For the Makah, the health of the species is linked with culture, conservation and treaty rights.
king5.com
Washington Sea Grant will hold a two-day Skills and Drills course for new or beginning commercial fishers Sept. 28-29 in South Bend. It's free for current or aspiring fishers, or $100 for non-commerical fishers.
Restoring the Flow: Seizing opportunity at dead-end culverts. Fixing culverts that block fish passage is a clear win for salmon recovery and benefits orcas and our communities too. Reopening these dead ends beneath our roadways is a worthwhile investment for us all. youtu.be/_LTpQEMhSIc
Restoring the Flow: Seizing opportunity at dead-end culverts
Fixing culverts that block fish passage is a clear win for salmon recovery and benefits orcas and our communities too. Reopening these dead ends beneath our roadways is a worthwhile investment for us all.
youtu.be
The history behind the treaties between Indian tribes and the U.S. is layered and nuanced. "They aren’t just for Indian people. The treaties bind all people, Native and non-Native, together around these ideas of relationality, of how to interact with each other.” nwtt.co/po
‘Quite frustrating:’ what it’s like to have a treaty with the United States - High Country News
The Treaty of Point Elliott bears the signatures of over 80 Indigenous leaders representing more than 20 tribal nations from the Pacific Northwest. Contemporary leaders from some of those nations explain what their treaty means today.
hcn.org