A highly anticipated next step in the development of statues honoring Billy Frank Jr. came to fruition in November. The…

A highly anticipated next step in the development of statues honoring Billy Frank Jr. came to fruition in November. The foundry selected to create two 9-foot-tall bronze depictions of the revered tribal leader was announced just feet from where Frank Jr. had fought much of his battle for treaty fishing rights. Billy Frank Jr.'s son Willie Frank III announced the selection of Classic Foundry to create the statues, to be completed this year.

Washington state and federal wildlife officials, tribes and a nonprofit are using new tools in an intensive research project to investigate how harbor seals impact endangered salmon.

On a chilly October morning, as a group of youth from the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe reached the edge of…

On a chilly October morning, as a group of youth from the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe reached the edge of the upper Baker River, they saw dozens of red sockeye salmon darting in the clear water, preparing to spawn.  After taking a beat to admire the scene, the youth, ages 10-12, set to work on the purpose of their trek to the river: to collect water samples carrying environmental DNA from the sockeye and potentially other critters, unseen, that recently spent time in the vicinity. 

Treaty tribes and partners are collaborating to answer a question essential to marine mammal management: How many salmon are being eaten by seals in Puget Sound and Hood Canal? The Pinniped Predation on Salmonids Project, a partnership consisting of the Port Gamble S’Klallam and Nisqually tribes, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the nonprofit Long Live the Kings (LLTK), has been collecting data over the past year to quantify abundance, movements and diets of seals in the Dosewallips, Duckabush and Nisqually river estuaries.

Natural resources staff representing tribes from across western Washington gathered in the traditional lands of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in…

Natural resources staff representing tribes from across western Washington gathered in the traditional lands of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in early November to share cutting edge research and construction methods to protect, preserve and restore salmon habitat.  The 2025 Tribal Habitat Conference, titled House of the Salmon: Laying the Foundation for Recovery, took place at 7 Cedars Hotel & Casino and several nearby restoration sites, giving attendees an opportunity to learn about the work and see it in action.

Twenty years ago, the number of fall chinook salmon returning to the South Fork Stillaguamish River was too low to…

Twenty years ago, the number of fall chinook salmon returning to the South Fork Stillaguamish River was too low to support a hatchery program using conventional broodstocking methods. To address this challenge, the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians implemented a less common approach at its Brenner Creek Hatchery: raising captive broodstock to support chinook recovery while salmon co-managers work to restore habitat.

A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rulemaking exposes the tension between tribes and rapid energy growth.

For generations, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has had little access to the traditional food camas, and even less opportunity…

Some 4,000 gallons of gasoline spilled into Hill Ditch, a salmon-bearing stream and part of the Skagit River watershed.

For generations, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has had little access to the traditional food camas, and even less opportunity to burn the landscape in ways historically used to enhance the plant’s growth. In September, Swinomish tribal members, staff, and guests from other tribes and conservation organizations took a step in reigniting the practice with a small controlled burn. The burn took place at test plots the tribe is using to study the best growing conditions for camas.

Federal officials have not responded to the October deadline for the tribe’s permit for a traditional summer/fall subsistence hunt of eastern North Pacific gray whales, covered by the Makahs’ 10-year waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Commentary: One-day conference demonstrates creative strategies to recover salmon