The 2020 annual report from the Treaty Indian Tribes in Western Washington summarizes tribal natural resource management activities over the past year, including: 1) Salmon harvest was reduced due to low returns, while shellfish and marine fish harvest was managed through cooperative agreements. 2) Habitat, hatchery, wildlife, and forest management programs were ongoing, while concerns remained regarding implementation of the culvert case ruling and potential rollbacks to water quality standards. 3) Regional collaboration on issues like orca recovery, salmon habitat protection, and pinniped management continued through groups like the Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition.

1. 2020 Annual Report
from the
Treaty Indian Tribes
in Western Washington
Tribal Natural Resources Management

2. 2 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Member Tribes of the
Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

3. 32020 Annual Report
From the Chair.........4
Harvest Management.........6
Salmon........6
Shellfish........7
Marine Fish.........8
Hatchery Management.........9
Habitat Management.......10
Wildlife Management.......11
Regional Collaboration.......12
Puget Sound Recovery.. ...12
Water Resources.......13
Forest Management.......13
Ocean Resources.......14
NWIFC Activities.......15
Table of ContentsNorthwest Indian
Fisheries Commission
360-438-1180
6730 Martin Way East
Olympia, WA 98516
contact@nwifc.org
nwifc.org
nwtreatytribes.org
Above: A chinook salmon makes its way upstream toward the
Nisqually Tribe’s Clear Creek Hatchery. Chinook returns were
decent, though not robust this year, marking one of the few
bright spots in salmon returns.
Front cover: Skokomish tribal member Pat Johns loads his chum
harvest into a tote. Tribal members harvest chum that return
to the state’s Hoodsport Hatchery every fall. The chum fishery
was cut short after a test fishery conducted by the treaty tribes
and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife found lower re-
turns than forecast. All tribal and nontribal chum fisheries were
closed early in South Sound. Photos: Debbie Preston
Map, opposite page: Ron McFarlane

4. 4 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Every year the treaty tribal and state
salmon co-managers’ job of sharing
and rebuilding a steadily shrinking re-
source becomes more difficult.
The biggest challenge is developing
fisheries in the face of declining salmon
habitat that is being lost and damaged
faster than it can be restored. That factor
is being further complicated by climate
change, the needs of southern resident
orcas, and an explosion of seal and sea
lion populations.
Poor ocean conditions attributed to
climate change and the ongoing loss of
salmon habitat contributed to general-
ly lower salmon returns across western
Washington in 2019.
Struggling chinook stocks from the
Stillaguamish and Nooksack rivers as well
as Hood Canal resulted in limited fish-
eries in some areas. There also were low
returns of coho, chum and pink salmon
throughout the region.
The needs of southern resident orcas
also must be factored into the co-manag-
ers’ salmon season decision-making. Like
the chinook salmon they depend on, their
population continues to steadily decline.
California sea lion and harbor seal
populations in western Washington have
exploded in recent years. The co-manag-
ers agree that we must gather data on the
populations, diets and ecological impacts
of seals and sea lions to ensure that their
management supports recovery efforts for
salmon and southern resident orcas.
As the job of managing salmon is more
difficult every year, each management
decision that the tribes and state make as
co-managers requires increasingly careful
consideration and closer coordination.
A strong step in that direction came
with the appointment of Kelly Susewind
as director of the Washington Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife. Although new
to the world of salmon management, he
provided strong leadership during the
North of Falcon process to help the tribes
and state meet our shared conservation
challenges.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) effort to roll
back Washington’s water quality stan-
dards picked up momentum in 2019 and
may conclude in early 2020 despite strong
opposition from the tribes, state govern-
ment, environmental groups and others.
Meanwhile, work on implementation
of the culvert case continued in 2019 but
tribes are concerned the state may be
shortchanging efforts to meet the fed-
eral court’s mandate upheld by the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Water Quality Standards
The EPA continued its crusade to roll
back Washington’s water quality stan-
dards – the most protective in the nation –
based on an industry trade group petition
claiming the rules will increase their cost
of doing business.
The federal agency decided to roll back
the existing Human Health Criteria
without consulting the tribes or the state,
despite the federal government’s trust
obligation to hold government-to-govern-
ment consultation with the tribes.
EPA plans to roll back the protections to
the equivalent of decades-old standards –
or worse – based on incorrect science.
Treaty Indian tribes in western Wash-
ington believe a pollution-based economy
is not sustainable and that no price can be
placed on the value of human health or
the resources that sustain us.
Washington’s water quality standards
were revised in 2016 – with EPA’s support
– to include a more realistic fish consump-
tion rate of 175 grams (about 6 ounces)
per day. The cancer risk rate remained
unchanged.
The revised water quality standards
were the result of years of extensive public
processes at the state and federal levels,
involving tribal governments as well as
industry representatives, environmental
groups and other stakeholders.
There is no new science or law that jus-
tifies EPA’s reconsideration or that would
lead to a different result.
If approved, the changes mean that
every bite of seafood will contain higher
levels of toxic chemicals and carcinogens.
Salmon Recovery
Treaty Indian tribes in western Wash-
ington were greatly encouraged at the
November 2019 Centennial Accord
meeting when Gov. Jay Inslee committed
to challenge the status quo and take steps
needed for salmon recovery.
Created in 1989 to mark the state’s
100th anniversary, the annual gathering
brings together the tribes and state in
a government-to-government forum to
address issues of mutual interest such
as health care, education and natural
resources.
The governor acknowledged the im-
portance of healthy streamside areas as
From the Chair
NWIFC Chair Lorraine Loomis
Chum spawn in Kennedy Creek in South Sound, where fisheries were canceled because of low
returns. Photo: Debbie Preston

5. 52020 Annual Report
critical to both our region’s salmon recov-
ery efforts and our resiliency in the face of
global climate change. He directed natural
resources agencies to develop a proposal
for a consistent approach to their manage-
ment and protection based on clear and
existing science.
State of Washington data show that
more than 1,700 miles of streams and
rivers in western Washington do not meet
state or federal water quality standards for
water temperatures.
Tribes have documented the decline of
salmon habitat through the State of Our
Watersheds report, which details hab-
itat conditions and limiting factors for
recovery throughout western Washington.
We have developed solutions through
gw
∂dz
adad, our strategy for restoring salm-
on habitat.
More information about the State of
Our Watersheds and gw
∂dz
adad habitat
strategy are available at: geo.nwifc.org/sow
and nwtt.co/habitatstrategy.
Salmon Coalition
The Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition of
tribal, state and local policy leaders, sport
and commercial fishermen, conservation
groups and scientists was formed follow-
ing the inaugural Billy Frank Jr. Pacific
Salmon Summit in March 2018.
At the second summit in November
2019, coalition members presented their
priorities of restoring and protecting
disappearing salmon habitat, enhancing
hatchery production, and managing seal
and sea lion populations.
The coalition advocates for expanding
salmon habitat by supporting protection
of streamside habitat through uniform,
science-based requirements across the
region. The group also works to revise
habitat standards in the state’s Growth
Management Act and other land-use
protection guidelines from one of No
Net Loss to one of Net Gain. A statewide
permit tracking system to create trans-
parency, accountability and efficiency in
tracking land-use decisions also is being
considered.
The Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition
supports increased state, federal and other
funding to provide for increased salmon
production and maintenance of state,
federal, tribal and nonprofit hatchery
facilities in the region. In particular, the
coalition supports increased hatchery pro-
duction, based on the latest science, in key
watersheds to produce salmon for Indian
and non-Indian fisheries and provide prey
for southern resident orcas.
Predation by pinnipeds such as har-
bor seals and California sea lions on
both adult and juvenile salmon is out
of balance and slows salmon recovery
significantly. It has been documented that
seals and sea lions are eating more than
six times the number of salmon harvested
by fishermen.
The coalition is developing recommen-
dations to maintain stable seal and sea
lion populations that won’t undermine
salmon recovery efforts. As a first step, we
are calling for an assessment of the status
of pinniped populations in this region to
determine optimal sustainable popula-
tions.
More information about the coalition is
available at salmondefense.org/coalition.
Culvert Case
A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision
requires the state of Washington to repair
hundreds of fish-blocking culverts that vi-
olate tribal treaty-reserved fishing rights.
The Supreme Court affirmed that treaty
rights require that fish be available for
harvest and that the state can’t needlessly
block streams and destroy salmon runs.
In 2013, a lower federal court ordered
the state Department of Transportation to
reopen about 450 of its 800 most signifi-
cant barrier culverts in western Washing-
ton within 17 years.
In early 2019, a two-year state budget
was passed that would not adequately
fund the culvert repairs ordered by the
federal court. Fortunately, Gov. Inslee
increased budget funding for these repairs
by $175 million.
Tribes remain concerned, however,
about the long-term legislative direction
for funding culvert replacement and the
likelihood of the state meeting the court’s
deadline. Our concerns are based on the
state’s 2019-21 transportation budget that
provided $8.5 million less than the pre-
vious biennium and $175 million below
the projected need of the Department of
Transportation to maintain compliance
with the court order.
The state has continually delayed ag-
gressively pursuing fish-passage barrier
removal since the filing of the initial
complaint in 2001. Every year the state
Legislature delays funding for fish barrier
removal causes a much larger financial
problem for future budgets as costs rise
and deadlines loom.
Southern Resident Killer Whales
As co-managers, tribes participated in a
statewide Southern Resident Killer Whale
Recovery Task Force in 2019 as the Salish
Sea’s southern resident orcas declined to a
low of 73. Treaty tribes have been call-
ing for years for bold actions to recover
chinook salmon, the orcas’ preferred prey,
including increased hatchery production,
habitat restoration and protection, and
determining salmon predation impacts
from seals and sea lions.
In recommendations to Gov. Inslee,
tribes said it is imperative that any ap-
proaches to accelerating orca recovery be
accomplished in a manner that respects
tribal priorities and authorities as both a
co-manager and more importantly, as sov-
ereign nations with reserved treaty rights
and resources.
Conclusion
Despite the challenges we face, the trea-
ty tribes in western Washington remain
committed to recovering salmon and their
habitat, and restoring a balanced regional
ecosystem. But that commitment comes
with a caution. As our late leader Billy
Frank Jr. said: “As the salmon disappear,
so do our tribal cultures and treaty rights.
We are at a crossroads and we are running
out of time.”
Squaxin Island Tribe Chair Arnold Cooper signs
a commitment to action at the second Billy
Frank Jr. Pacific Salmon Summit in November
2019. Photo: Debbie Preston

6. 6 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Harvest Management: Salmon
Treaty Indian tribes and the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife co-manage salmon fisheries in Puget Sound, the Strait of
Juan de Fuca and nearshore coastal waters.
• For decades, state and tribal salmon co-managers have reduced
harvest in response to declining salmon runs. Tribes have cut
harvest by 80 to 90 percent since 1985.
• Under U.S. v. Washington (the Boldt decision), harvest occurs
only after sufficient fish are available to sustain the resource.
• The tribes monitor their harvest using the Treaty Indian Catch
Monitoring Program to provide accurate, same-day catch sta-
tistics for treaty Indian fisheries. The program enables close
monitoring of tribal harvest levels and allows for in-season
adjustments.
• Tribal and state managers work cooperatively through the Pacific
Fishery Management Council and the North of Falcon process to
develop fishing seasons. The co-managers also cooperate with
Canadian and Alaskan fisheries managers through the U.S./Can-
ada Pacific Salmon Treaty.
After a 25-year absence, tribal and
nontribal fishermen can again harvest
chinook in McAllister Creek, thanks to
the Nisqually Tribe.
The headwaters of McAllister Creek
were known historically to the tribe as
Medicine Springs. The area was trans-
ferred back to the tribe in 2016 from the
city of Olympia after decades of work by
tribal and city staff.
The mouth of the creek is the site where
the Treaty of Medicine Creek was signed
in 1854. Today it’s part of the Billy Frank
Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.
The Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife (WDFW) closed its hatchery
in McAllister Creek in the mid-1990s,
ending fishing opportunity there.
Each year since 2016, Nisqually has
transported up to 1 million chinook
smolts to the springs from its Clear Creek
Hatchery. They are held in a pond in
Medicine Springs for several weeks before
being released.
These hatchery fish already are provid-
ing a much-needed tribal fishing oppor-
tunity in the Nisqually watershed, where
Nisqually River fisheries often are closed
to allow weak salmon runs to recover.
“There are 2-, 3- and 4-year old chinook
returning to McAllister Creek this year,”
said Bill St. Jean, enhancement program
manager for the tribe. “Access is a little
tough for sport fishermen, but the guys
getting under the bridge there are success-
ful pretty quickly.”
Other fishermen are taking small boats
out to the mouth of the creek, catching
bright, shiny chinook up to 25 pounds.
The tribe is involved in a number of
efforts to restore and protect habitat in
the ocean, Puget Sound and the river
delta to improve the health and long-term
returns of these salmon. Partners include
Nisqually River Council, Nisqually Land
Trust, the cities of Tacoma, Centralia and
Eatonville, the Salmon Recovery Funding
Board, WDFW, South Puget Sound Salm-
on Enhancement Group and others.
The tribe operates two hatchery facili-
ties in the Nisqually River in addition to
the Medicine Springs site. The hatchery
programs use the latest science and are a
critical part of the recovery efforts for the
Puget Sound Fall Chinook Evolutionary
Significant Unit.
Salmon are culturally and economically
important to tribal members who fought
for the treaty-reserved right to fish during
the Fish Wars, which led to the 1974 Boldt
decision that affirmed those rights, and
was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme
Court.
Chinook run returns to creek where treaty was signed
Nisqually tribal fishermen Joseph Squally (right) and his grandfather Albert
“Chief” Squally work to repair a net on McAllister Creek during the chinook
fishery. Photo: Debbie Preston

7. 72020 Annual Report
Harvest Management: Shellfish
Treaty tribes harvest native littleneck, manila, razor and geo-
duck clams, Pacific oysters, Dungeness crab, shrimp and other
shellfish throughout the coast and Puget Sound.
• Tribal shellfish programs manage harvests with other tribes
and the state through resource-sharing agreements. The
tribes are exploring ways to improve management of other
species, including sea cucumbers, Olympia oysters and sea
urchins.
• Tribal shellfish enhancement results in bigger and more
consistent harvests that benefit both tribal and nontribal
diggers.
• Shellfish harvested in ceremonial and subsistence fisheries
are a necessary part of tribal culture and traditional diet.
• Shellfish harvested in commercial fisheries are sold to li-
censed buyers. For the protection of public health, shellfish
are harvested and processed according to strict state and
national standards.
• Tribes continue to work with property owners to manage
harvest on nontribal tidelands.
• In 2018 (the most recent year for which data is available),
treaty tribes in western Washington commercially harvest-
ed more than 1.4 million pounds of manila and littleneck
clams, more than 2.7 million pounds of geoduck clams,
more than 3 million oysters, 6.4 million pounds of crab,
234,000 pounds of sea cucumbers, 480,000 pounds of
green and red sea urchins, and 330,000 pounds of shrimp.
Tribes throughout the Salish Sea and
Washington coast are supporting stud-
ies to better understand Dungeness crab
populations.
Crab always have been a part of tribal
members’ diet and culture and are an
important part of tribal economies in
western Washington, since salmon fishing
is limited by habitat destruction and his-
torical overharvest. The Dungeness crab
fishery is important to tribal and nontrib-
al commercial fishermen, contributing the
largest value of catch in the state, estimat-
ed at $12.5 million in 2017-2018.
In recognition of the need to improve
Dungeness crab science and management,
the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
and Lummi Nation launched a cooper-
ative research effort among tribal, state,
federal and academic researchers. The
Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group
aims to promote sustainable Dungeness
crab populations. Since the group’s incep-
tion in December 2018, it has grown to in-
clude more than 60 individuals, primarily
representing tribal governments.
The research group partnered with
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) to support
a fellow to serve as a program coordina-
tor, developing a work plan for the group,
ensuring standardization of methods,
creating data-sharing protocols and man-
aging data.
The research group’s first initiative is
a statewide long-term monitoring effort
examining regional variation in larval
Dungeness crab abundance. Biologists are
using light traps to count tiny Dungeness
crab larvae, called megalopae. The traps
are made from water jugs with an internal
light on a timer. When the light turns on
at night, it attracts crab larvae and other
small marine life.
Samplers are following a model devel-
oped by Alan Shanks at the University
of Oregon that found a link between the
number of crab larvae collected in light
traps and commercial crab catch on the
Oregon coast.
“While it will take at least 10 years of
data collection before we will know if Dr.
Shanks’ model works in Washington for
predicting coastal or inland commercial
crab catch, the larval data we collect now
will answer important questions about
larval crab populations and the timing of
larval pulses throughout Washington wa-
ters,” said Julie Barber, Swinomish senior
shellfish biologist.
Tribes organize regionwide Dungeness crab research
Nisqually shellfish biologist Margaret Homerding and natural resources
technician Eddie Villegas record the size, sex and condition of a crab
during a survey. Photo: Debbie Preston

8. 8 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Harvest Management: Marine Fish
Treaty tribes are co-managers of the marine fish resource,
working closely with state and federal agencies, and in interna-
tional forums to develop and implement species conservation
plans for all marine fish stocks in Puget Sound and along the
Pacific coast.
• Many areas of Puget Sound have experienced a stark drop
in marine fish populations. Herring and smelt, historically
the most plentiful forage fish, have sharply declined over
the past two decades. Several species of rockfish are list-
ed as threatened or endangered under the
federal Endangered Species Act. Human
activity, such as pollution and develop-
ment, is believed to be a leading cause of
the overall decline.
• The Pacific Fishery Management Council,
which includes the tribal and state co-man-
agers, regulates the catch of black cod,
rockfish and other marine fish. Halibut are
managed through the International Pacific
Halibut Commission, established by the
U.S. and Canadian governments. Tribes are
active participants in season-setting pro-
cesses and the technical groups that serve
those bodies.
• Treaty tribes manage marine fisheries that
include purse-seining for sardines and an-
chovy, midwater fisheries for rockfish and
Pacific whiting, and groundfish fisheries
that include sablefish, sole, Pacific cod and
rockfish.
• The coastal tribes and state support ocean monitoring
and research leading to an ecosystem-based management
of fishery resources. This includes integrating all coastal
ocean research into a common database called the
Habitat Framework Initiative. The initiative puts available
habitat data into a common catalog for state, federal and
tribal managers who often share jurisdictions and manage
resources jointly.
The Quinault Indian Nation is looking
into the effects climate change will have
on the ocean, and what will be available
for the fishermen who have plied the sea
forever.
“There are a lot of climate adaptation
plans for the land and even nearshore, but
little for complex ocean fisheries,” said Joe
Schumacker, Quinault marine resources
scientist.
The tribe plans to contract with spe-
cialists to help predict changes to ocean
populations and fisheries.
“By taking into account climatology,
oceanography, biological changes and
other data, we can look at species of
interest and forecast their vulnerability,”
Schumacker said.
The architecture of ocean life is chang-
ing as climate change threatens certain
parts of the food web more than others.
This includes foundational life such as
copepods and krill, small marine animals
consumed by forage fish, salmon and even
baleen whales.
“What will Quinault and other tribes
be managing in the future?” Schumacker
said. “The treaty right doesn’t move – will
it remain productive with the current
species, or will it be different?”
Quinault participates in a variety of
ocean fisheries including salmon, halibut,
black cod and crab. As the waters have
warmed, tuna fisheries have become more
reliable and often closer to shore. Increas-
ingly, large “blobs” of warm, low-oxygen
water also have parked offshore near
Quinault territory in recent years, nega-
tively affecting those important food webs
and, in worst cases, causing large die-offs
of fish.
By gathering and synthesizing data
about changing conditions, Quinault
can manage fisheries proactively. New
species may be available while others may
dwindle or move because of changing
conditions.
“We have some data that feeds into
monitoring and forecasting tools for
large-scale areas like the entire West
Coast but we need downscaled data for
our Quinault traditional fishing area,”
Schumacker said.
“Right now, satellites provide an ex-
pensive and sometimes unreliable data
connection, but in the next 10 years, we’ll
have greater access to fiber-optic cables in
the ocean and, potentially, low orbit wifi
satellites or balloons.”
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has ap-
proved the tribe’s proposal for the project
and is seeking bids.
Planning for marine effects of climate change
The ocean habitat in the Quinault Indian Nation’s traditional area will be the subject of a
localized model to see how climate change will affect ocean species of interest. Photo:
Debbie Preston

9. 92020 Annual Report
Hatchery Management
Hatcheries must remain a central part of salmon manage-
ment in western Washington as long as lost and degraded
habitat prevent watersheds from naturally producing abun-
dant, self-sustaining salmon runs of sufficient size to meet
tribal treaty fishing rights.
• Treaty Indian tribes released more than 43 million
salmon and steelhead in 2018 (the most recent year for
which data is available), including 14.8 million chinook,
19.3 million chum and 8 million coho, as well as more
than 800,000 sockeye and more than 600,000 steel-
head.
• Most tribal hatcheries produce salmon for harvest by
both Indian and non-Indian fishermen. Some serve
as wild salmon nurseries that improve the survival of
juvenile fish and increase returns of salmon that spawn
naturally in our watersheds.
• Tribes conduct an extensive mass marking and coded-
wire tag program. Young fish are marked by having their
adipose fin clipped before release. Tiny coded-wire tags
are inserted into the noses of juvenile salmon. The tags
from marked fish are recovered in fisheries, providing
important information about marine survival, migration
and hatchery effectiveness.
The Skokomish Tribe and Tacoma
Power are bringing sockeye salmon back
to the North Fork Skokomish River and
Hood Canal.
“Our goal is to restore a sustainable run
that we haven’t seen since the river’s dams
were built,” said Dave Herrera, the tribe’s
fisheries policy representative.
The Lake Cushman and Lake Kokanee
dams were built in the 1920s to provide
hydroelectric power for the city of
Tacoma, but lacked fish passage facilities
and dewatered the North Fork.
A 2009 hydroelectric dam relicensing
agreement between the tribe and utility
led to river restoration, increased water
flow, fish passage improvements, fish and
wildlife habitat restoration, and salmon
hatchery programs on the North Fork.
“The long-term goal is to pass fish
around the dams between the upper and
lower watersheds of the North Fork, but
the population numbers need to increase
first, so we’ve implemented recovery
programs for chinook, coho, sockeye and
steelhead,” said Andrew Ollenburg, Taco-
ma’s Cushman Fish Facilities manager.
Every fall since 2016, the sockeye
hatchery on Hood Canal has incubated
eggs from Puget Sound Energy’s Baker
River stock. The following spring, sockeye
fry are placed in rearing tanks until the
summer when they are transferred to
Lake Cushman to acclimatize. The fish
are released into the river to out-migrate
to the canal and ocean for three to four
years before they come back to the river as
adults.
The hatchery also makes a thermal
mark on the fish ear bone, or otolith,
by dropping the water temperature for
varying lengths of time, so staff can later
determine the age of returning fish.
The fish are not clipped so they will not
be harvested, allowing more sockeye to
return to the river. Any sockeye that show
up at the hatchery will be brought into the
spawning program.
Sockeye that returned in 2019 from the
2016 release are considered 3-year-olds,
Ollenburg said, with more expected next
year as 4-year-olds.
“After nearly 100 years of conflict over
the Cushman dams, the settlement agree-
ment has led to a real partnership between
the utility and the tribe,” Herrera said.
“The tribe took the lead in securing the
broodstock for the hatcheries, supported
the securing of federal energy funds to
help pay for the construction of the fish
passage facilities, and the tribe’s fisheries
staff now do monitoring work for Taco-
ma in the North Fork and estuary of the
Skokomish River,” he said.
Partnership with city helps recover sockeye salmon
Juvenile sockeye salmon at Tacoma’s Saltwater Park Sockeye Hatch-
ery are part of the city and the Skokomish Tribe’s program to restore a
sustainable run in the Skokomish River. Photo: Tiffany Royal

10. 10 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Habitat Management
Habitat protection and restoration are es-
sential for recovering wild salmon in western
Washington. Tribes are taking action to recover
salmon in each watershed, and have restored
thousands of miles of habitat.
• Tribes are collaborating with the state of
Washington to fix the fish-blocking cul-
verts that were the subject of a 2018 U.S.
Supreme Court case. The Supreme Court
affirmed a ruling that state blockages of
salmon habitat violate tribal treaty rights.
The state was ordered to remove barriers
to fish passage.
• The NWIFC Salmon and Steelhead Hab-
itat Inventory and Assessment Program
(SSHIAP) provides a database of local
and regional habitat conditions. SSHIAP
has launched an interactive map to track
repairs to state-owned culverts, a tool to
map potential steelhead habitat, a data
exchange for research about the nearshore
environment, and also publishes the State of Our Water-
sheds report at geo.nwifc.org/sow.
• Tribes conduct extensive water quality monitoring for
pollution and to ensure factors such as dissolved oxygen
and temperature levels are adequate for salmon and other
fish. To make limited federal funding work to its fullest,
tribes partner with state agencies, industries and property
owners through collaborative habitat protection, resto-
ration and enhancement efforts.
• In western Washington, the National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration’s Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery
Fund has supported projects that have restored and
protected fish access to more than 1 million acres of
spawning and rearing habitat, and removed hundreds of
fish-passage barriers.
Juvenile salmon are using the new habi-
tat at zis a ba in the Stillaguamish estuary,
where the Stillaguamish Tribe restored
tidal flow in October 2017.
Formerly part of the tidal marshes
connected to Port Susan and south Skagit
Bay, zis a ba had been isolated from the
river and tides by a dike built more than
100 years ago to protect a homestead from
flooding. The tribe purchased the property
in 2012 with the intention of setting back
the dikes to create more rearing habitat
for juvenile salmon, especially chinook.
It was named zis a ba for a former tribal
chief.
“When the fish come out from their
spawning areas in the North and South
Fork Stillaguamish in the spring, they
need places to grow larger before they
head offshore, and these tidal wetlands are
an important stop on that journey to the
ocean,” said Jason Griffith, Stillaguamish
fisheries biologist. “This is an area that
fish historically used to use, but they have
been cut off from it for a very long time.”
Tribal natural resources staff along with
staff from the Skagit River System Coop-
erative (SRSC) are monitoring the area to
see if the restoration project is working as
designed. This work includes collecting
genetic information from juvenile salmon
to measure the benefit of the project be-
yond the Stillaguamish River.
Biologists use seines to collect fish in
several sites on a biweekly basis. When
they find juvenile chinook, they take
a small fin clip for DNA testing before
returning them to the estuary.
“The DNA will tell us what river system
they came from,” Griffith said. “This area
is kind of a mixing ground for the Whid-
bey basin.”
“Even though the project is intended
to improve Stillaguamish River stocks,
Skagit River chinook have access and use
this estuary as well,” said Mike LeMoine,
a biologist with SRSC, which is the natural
resources extension of the Swinomish and
Sauk-Suiattle tribes.
Research in other river systems, includ-
ing the Skagit and Snohomish, has shown
that increasing tidal wetlands leads to
fewer fish dying before they reach adult-
hood, and therefore larger numbers of
chinook returning to spawn, Griffith said.
“These projects are pretty important for
chinook recovery, for orca recovery, and
for ensuring that the tribes and nontreaty
fishers have lots of opportunities,” he said.
Estuary restoration gives juvenile salmon place to rear
Biologists from the Stillaguamish, Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle tribes collect fish in a
beach seine, looking for juvenile salmon using the estuary. Photo: Kari Neumeyer

11. 112020 Annual Report
Wildlife Management
The treaty Indian tribes are co-managers of wildlife resources in west-
ern Washington, including deer, elk, bear and mountain goats.
• Tribal wildlife departments work with state agencies and citizen
groups on wildlife forage and habitat enhancement projects, reg-
ularly conducting wildlife population studies using GPS collars to
track migration patterns.
• Tribes implement occasional hunting moratoriums in response
to declining populations because of degraded and disconnected
habitat, invasive species and disease.
• Western Washington treaty tribal hunters account for a small
portion of the total combined deer and elk harvest in the state. In
the 2018 season, treaty tribal hunters harvested a reported 375
elk and 548 deer, while non-Indian hunters harvested a reported
5,559 elk and 27,846 deer.
• Tribal hunters hunt for sustenance and most do not hunt only
for themselves. Tribal culture in western Washington is based on
extended family relationships, with hunters sharing game with
several families. Some tribes have designated hunters who harvest
wildlife for tribal elders and others unable to hunt for themselves,
as well as for ceremonial purposes.
• As a sovereign government, each treaty tribe develops its own
hunting regulations and ordinances for tribal members. Tribal hunt-
ers are licensed by their tribes and must obtain tags for animals
they wish to hunt.
• Many tribes conduct hunter education programs aimed at teaching
tribal youth safe hunting practices.
Wildlife managers are sampling elk to
learn more about the hoof disease prolif-
erating across the region.
Often referred to as “hoof rot,” cases
of treponeme-associated hoof disease
(TAHD) have increased among elk in
Southwest Washington since 2008. The
disease has been seen in the Olympic
Peninsula and North Cascades herds over
the past three years.
The Swinomish Tribe is watching out
for potentially diseased animals in the
North Cascades herd by examining all an-
imals harvested by community members
for early signs of hoof disease. Suspicious
hooves are sent to the Washington State
University’s Animal Disease Diagnostic
Lab.
“Swinomish is working closely with
co-managers to better understand the
prevalence and distribution of hoof dis-
ease in the North Cascades, and detecting
animals in the early stages of the disease is
critical to that process,” said Leslie Parks,
a Swinomish biologist. “We hope to use
this information to develop strategies to
minimize the impact of hoof disease on
the herd. “
Samples also have been collected by
other tribes including the Upper Skagit
Tribe in the North Cascades, the Muck-
leshoot Tribe in South Sound and the
Skokomish Tribe in Hood Canal.
The disease likely is transmitted via
the soil from bacteria that sheds from the
hooves of infected elk and is transmitted
to other animals in the herd.
“Euthanizing elk with hoof disease may
help stop the spread of the disease,” said
NWIFC veterinarian Dr. Nora Hickey.
“This strategy has been tried with wildlife
diseases in other regions, such as chronic
wasting disease in deer in the Midwest,
with fairly good success.”
There is no vaccine against hoof dis-
ease and there is no proven way to treat
free-ranging animals.
Dr. Margaret Wild of WSU’s Depart-
ment of Veterinary Microbiology and
Pathology at the College of Veterinary
Medicine in Pullman is researching hoof
disease. She is trying to determine wheth-
er one strain of hoof disease has spread
across the region, or whether these are
independent outbreaks.
The disease causes sores and lesions
leading to significant pain and suffering.
Afflicted elk can lose the hard capsule
covering their hooves and have difficulty
walking, which makes them unable to
find food and escape predators.
Washington state recently passed a law
aimed at limiting the spread of hoof dis-
ease by requiring hunters in areas where
it is present to remove hooves and leave
them where the elk was killed. The public
can help by reporting limping elk or hoof
deformities to the state at nwtt.co/elkhoof.
Leslie Parks, Swinomish wildlife biologist, samples an elk to
test for hoof disease. Photo: Chris Madsen
Tribes track elk hoof disease across the region

12. 12 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Regional Collaboration
Puget Sound is the second largest estuary in the
United States and its health has been declining for
decades. Recognizing this, Congress designated
Puget Sound as an Estuary of National Significance,
further acknowledging the critical contributions
that Puget Sound provides to the environmental
and economic well-being of the nation. Through the
National Estuary Program, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) works with tribal, state and
local partners to help restore and protect this iconic
and ecologically important place.
• In 2007, the state of Washington created the
Puget Sound Partnership dedicated to working
with tribal, state, federal and local governments
and stakeholders to clean up and restore the
environmental health of Puget Sound by the
year 2020. This diverse group continues to work
toward a coordinated and cooperative recovery
effort through the Partnership’s Action Agenda,
which is focused on decreasing polluted storm-
water runoff, and protecting and restoring fish
and shellfish habitat.
• The Tribal Management Conference was created in 2016
through EPA’s model for the National Estuary Program for
Puget Sound. It increases the ability of tribes to provide
direct input into the program’s decisional framework. The
Tribal Management Conference is working with the Puget
Sound Partnership to implement a list of “bold actions”
that can turn around salmon recovery in Puget Sound. The
bold actions fall under several broad categories: Protect
remaining salmon habitat, create a transparent and open
accountability system on habitat, stop all water uses that
limit salmon recovery, reduce salmon predation, improve
monitoring and increase funding for habitat restoration.
• Western Washington treaty tribes participate in Puget
Sound Day on the Hill, a two-day advocacy effort each
spring in Washington, D.C. The tribes also participated in
the first-ever Puget Sound Day on the Sound in Puyallup,
where partners discussed regional issues with federal,
state and local leaders.
Puget Sound Recovery
Data from the Port Gamble S’Klallam
Tribe’s 2014 intensive salmon habitat
study helped get a $15 million Puget
Sound nearshore restoration project off
the ground in 2019.
Since 1940, a causeway and two under-
sized culverts in the salt marsh between
Kilisut and Oak harbors, near Marrow-
stone and Indian islands, hindered salm-
on migration and restricted tidal flow.
From 2011-2014, the tribe surveyed ju-
venile salmon in nearshore environments
in Hood Canal and Admiralty Inlet.
Unexpectedly, juvenile salmon were found
migrating away from large estuaries, like
the Duckabush and Dosewallips, and into
embayments such as Kilisut Harbor to
hide, rest and feed, said Hans Dauben-
berger, the tribe’s senior research scientist.
“Restoring the connection between
Kilisut Harbor and Oak Bay will allow
out-migrating salmonids access to high
quality coastal waters and nearshore
habitat with abundant, energy-rich prey,”
he said.
A 450-foot-long bridge will replace the
causeway and undersized culverts, open-
ing up 2,300 acres of habitat, improving
fish passage, water quality and tidal flow.
This benefits Puget Sound and Strait of
Georgia salmon, Puget Sound chinook
and steelhead, Hood Canal summer
chum, forage fish and shellfish.
Work began in summer 2019, with
bridge work continuing through the
winter. The culverts are expected to be
removed in summer 2020.
“The data provided by the tribe from
that study is responsible for helping
make this project happen,” said Rebecca
Benjamin, executive director of the North
Olympic Salmon Coalition (NOSC),
which is spearheading the project.
NOSC was able to secure $15 million
in funding from more than 20 sources
and partners. The Port Gamble S’Klallam
Tribe supplied $2 million, of which $1
million was from U.S. Navy mitigation
funds from the Port Gamble S’Klallam,
Jamestown S’Klallam and the Lower
Elwha Klallam tribes, and $1 million from
the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe through
a National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration grant. Support also was
provided by local landowners, the U.S.
Navy and Marrowstone Island residents.
Tribe’s survey leads to Puget Sound nearshore project
Partners supporting the Kilisut Harbor restoration project, including Port Gamble
S’Klallam Tribe chairman Jeromy Sullivan, center, hold a groundbreaking ceremony in
summer 2019. Photo: Tiffany Royal

13. 132020 Annual Report
The Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program was created by
the Pacific Northwest tribes and the federal Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to address water quality issues under
the Clean Water Act.
• EPA’s General Assistance Program (GAP) was established
in 1992 to improve capacity for environmental protection
programs for all tribes in the country. Many tribes are now
participating in the “Beyond GAP” project to build on these
investments by creating environmental implementation
programs locally while supporting national environmental
protection objectives.
• These programs are essential to combat threats to tribal
treaty resources such as declining water quality and quan-
tity. In western Washington, climate change and urban
development negatively affect water resources and aquat-
ic ecosystems and will get worse with a state population
expected to rise by nearly 1 million in the next 10 years.
• Tribal water resources program goals include establishing
instream flows to sustain harvestable populations of salm-
on, identifying limiting factors for salmon recovery, protect-
ing existing groundwater and surface water supplies, and
participating in multi-agency planning processes for water
quantity and quality management.
Water Resources
Forest Management
Two processes – the Timber/Fish/Wildlife (TFW) Agreement
and the Forests and Fish Report (FFR) – provide the frame-
work for adaptive management by bringing together tribes,
state and federal agencies, environmental groups and private
forestland owners to protect salmon, wildlife and other species
while providing for the economic health of the timber industry.
• Treaty tribes in western Washington manage their forest-
lands to benefit people, fish, wildlife and water.
• Reforestation for future needs is part of maintaining
healthy forests, which are key to maintaining vibrant
streams for salmon and enabling wildlife to thrive.
• Forestlands are a source of treaty-protected foods, medi-
cine and cultural items.
• A tribal representative serves on the state’s Forest Prac-
tices Board, which sets standards for activities such as
timber harvest, road construction and forest chemical
applications. Tribes also are active participants in the FFR
Cooperative Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Commit-
tee.
Mount Rainier overlooks Budd Inlet at sunset. Puget Sound recovery faces the same challenges as ever, but these are amplified by explosive
growth and climate change. Photo: Debbie Preston

14. 14 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
The state of Washington, the Hoh, Makah and
Quileute tribes, and the Quinault Indian Nation
work with the National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration to integrate common
research goals to understand changing ocean
conditions and create the building blocks for
managing these resources.
• In recognition of the challenges facing the
Olympic coast ecosystem, the tribes and
state of Washington established the Inter-
governmental Policy Council (IPC) to guide
management of Olympic Coast National
Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS). Many of the
research and planning goals established
by tribes and the state support U.S.
Ocean Policy. In 2019, the tribes worked
with their partners to reauthorize the IPC
through 2022. The tribes also are active
members of the OCNMS Advisory Council, regional Marine
Resource Committees, the Washington Coastal Marine
Advisory Council and the West Coast Ocean Alliance.
• Climate change, ocean warming, ocean acidification,
hypoxia and harmful algal blooms have been top priorities
the past several years. Because of their unique vulnera-
bility, coastal indigenous cultures are leaders in societal
adaptation and mitigation in response to events driven by
climate change. As ocean conditions change due to cli-
mate change and disruptions such as the Pacific decadal
oscillation, El Niño, the “Blob” and seasonal upwelling,
it will be important to understand the changes that are
occurring and how they affect the ecosystem. Tribes are
working with the Northwest Association of Networked
Ocean Observing Systems and other state and federal
partners to improve monitoring of marine conditions and
access to data products necessary for effective deci-
sion-making.
• The tribes continue to work with the state of Washington
and federal partners to respond to the findings of the
state’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. Several
tribes are members of the International Alliance to Com-
bat Ocean Acidification, including serving on its Governing
Council. Tribes also are working with the state Depart-
ment of Natural Resources to monitor ocean acidification
conditions in nearshore waters as part of the Acidification
Nearshore Monitoring Network (ANeMoNe) program.
• The tribes and the federal government are using a new
marine habitat analytical tool called the “Coastal and
Marine Ecological Classification Standard” to improve
management of treaty-protected natural resources. This
new standard defines habitat by translating data sets into
four components – water column, geoform, substrate and
biotic attributes – that provide a more comprehensive
understanding of habitats and their ecosystem function.
Learn more at nwtt.co/oceanmaps.
Ocean Resources
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe wants
to know how ocean acidification might be
affecting shellfish in Sequim Bay.
Ocean acidification, the decrease of the
ocean’s pH level caused by the absorption
of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
can change marine water chemistry,
affecting shellfish survival and growth at
the microscopic larvae stage.
Longer term effects of ocean acidifica-
tion can reduce shell and body growth,
and impact the resource as a whole, im-
peding the tribe’s ability to harvest.
On the Sequim Bay tidelands, the tribe
manages more than 60 acres of shellfish
cultivation for commercial, subsistence
and restoration purposes, including
geoduck, littleneck and manila clams, and
Pacific and Olympia oysters.
“The tribe depends on natural and
farmed shellfish to provide economic
opportunities and maintain cultural har-
vest practices,” said Liz Tobin, the tribe’s
shellfish biologist. “The threat of ocean
acidification in Puget Sound has the po-
tential to greatly affect the availability and
sustainability of tribal shellfish resources.”
The tribe is participating in the Wash-
ington Department of Natural Resources’
Acidification Nearshore Monitoring Net-
work (ANeMoNe) – a network of sensors
installed in several nearshore environ-
ments in Puget Sound and on the coast.
The sensors measure changes in marine
chemistry at different locations and can
be used to evaluate potential impacts on
marine organisms.
“Taking part in the ANeMoNe network
allows us to gather important baseline
data on Sequim Bay seawater chemistry,
such as time series data that would allow
us to detect trends or events in declining
pH,” Tobin said.
“There is evidence of increased season-
al declines in seawater pH on the outer
coast,” she said. “Such corrosive waters
have been detected on the coast but we
don’t have a strong handle if similar
events are occurring in nearshore envi-
ronments of Puget Sound.”
Tracking long-term effects of ocean acidification
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe shellfish staff count eelgrass plants as part of the ANeMoNe
study. Photo: Tiffany Royal

15. 152020 Annual Report
The Northwest Indian Fisheries
Commission (NWIFC) was created in
1974 by the 20 treaty Indian tribes in
western Washington that were parties to
U.S. v. Washington. The litigation affirmed
their treaty-reserved salmon harvest
rights and established the tribes as natural
resources co-managers with the state.
The NWIFC is an intertribal organiza­
tion that assists member tribes with their
natural resources co-management respon­
sibilities. Member tribes select commis­
sioners who develop policy and provide
direction for the organization.
The commission employs about 75
full-­time employees and is headquartered
in Olympia, Wash., with satellite offices in
Forks, Poulsbo and Burlington.
It provides broad policy coordination
as well as high-quality technical and
support services for member tribes in their
efforts to co-manage the natural resources
in western Washington. The commission
also acts as a forum for tribes to address
issues of shared concern, and enables the
tribes to speak with a unified voice.
Fisheries Management
• Long-range planning, salmon
recovery efforts and federal
Endangered Species Act
implementation.
• Develop pre-season agreements, pre­
season and in-season run size forecast
monitoring, and post-season fishery
analysis and reporting.
• Participate in regionwide fisheries
management processes with entities
such as the International Pacific
Halibut Commission and Pacific
Fishery Management Council.
• Marine fish and shellfish management
planning.
• Facilitate tribal participation in the
U.S./Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty
including organizing intertribal and
interagency meetings, developing
issue papers and negotiation options
for tribes, serving on technical
committees and coordinating
tribal research associated with
implementing the treaty.
Quantitative Services
• Administer and coordinate the Treaty
Indian Catch Monitoring Program.
• Provide statistical consulting services.
• Conduct data analysis of fisheries
studies and develop study designs.
• Update and evaluate fishery
management statistical models and
databases.
Habitat Services
• Coordinate policy and technical
discussion between tribes and federal,
state and local governments, and other
interested parties.
• Coordinate and monitor tribal
interests in the Timber/Fish/Wildlife
and Forests and Fish Report processes,
Coordinated Tribal Water Resources,
and Cooperative Monitoring,
Evaluation and Research Committee
ambient monitoring programs.
• Analyze and distribute technical
information on habitat-related
forums, programs and processes.
• Implement the Salmon and Steelhead
Habitat Inventory and Assessment
Project.
Enhancement Services
• Assist tribes with production and
release of an average of 40 million
salmon and steelhead each year.
• Coordinate coded-wire tagging of
more than 4 million fish at tribal
hatcheries to provide information
critical to fisheries management.
• Analyze coded-wire tag data.
• Provide genetic, ecological and
statistical consulting for tribal
hatchery programs.
• Provide fish health services to tribal
hatcheries for juvenile fish health
monitoring, disease diagnosis,
adult health inspection and vaccine
production.
Information and
Education Services
• Provide internal and external
communication services to member
tribes and NWIFC.
• Develop and distribute
communication products such as
news releases, newsletters, videos,
photos, social media and web-based
content.
• Respond to public requests for
information about the tribes, their
treaty rights, natural resources
management activities and
environmental issues.
• Work with federal and state agencies,
environmental organizations and
others in cooperative communication
efforts.
• Respond to state and federal
legislation.
Wildlife Management
• Manage and maintain the intertribal
wildlife harvest database and
the collection of tribal hunting
regulations.
• Provide assistance to tribes on wildlife
issues.
• Respond to and facilitate tribal
discussions on key management,
litigation and legislation issues.
• Provide technical assistance, including
statistical review and data analysis,
and/or direct involvement in wildlife
and habitat management projects.
Hatchery Reform
Endangered
Species Act
Pacific Salmon
Treaty
Fish, Shellfish and
Wildlife Harvest
Management
Harvest Monitoring/Data
Collection
Population Monitoring
and Research
Policy Development and
Intergovernmental
Relations
Fisherman and Vessel
Identification
Natural Resources
Enforcement
Coordination
Water Resources
Protection and
Assessment
Forestland
Management
Administrative Support
Puget Sound
Recovery
Watershed
Recovery
Planning
Other State
and Local
Collaborative
Programs
Coordinated Tribal
Water Resources
Salmon Mass
Marking
Ocean
Ecosystem
Initiative
Marine
Mammal
Protection
Act
Stevens
Treaties
NWIFC Activities

16. Northwest
Indian
Fisheries
Commission
Clouds hover over the Washington coast, where treaty tribes are concerned about sea level rise, warming water temperatures and ocean
acidification as a result of climate change. Photo: Debbie Preston