Tag: Nisqually Tribe

Nisqually Tribe counting prawns in South Sound

Margaret Homerding, shellfish biologist for the Nisqually Tribe, measures a prawn during the tribes shellfish surveys of South Sound.
Margaret Homerding, shellfish biologist for the Nisqually Tribe, measures a prawn during the tribes shellfish surveys of South Sound.

By: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

A long-term study by the Nisqually Tribe is providing a better understanding of shrimp in South Sound.

“What shrimp populations are in the area is not well documented,” said Margaret Homerding, shellfish biologist for the Nisqually Tribe. “The state conducted surveys a decade ago, but did not catch any spot prawns.”

The tribe is dropping three shrimp pots every few months in various locations from the Nisqually Reach to lower Carr Inlet. Each pot location is tracked on GPS and any catch is recorded.

“We started surveying when we saw our crabbers pulling up spot prawns from their deeper pots,” Homerding said. “We are looking for all species of shrimp, but we’re focusing our efforts on spot prawns, which are the commercially valuable species.” So far, spot prawns and dock shrimp have been the most abundant species in the tribal surveys.

“The end result of the study should be a decision on whether there is a commercially viable fishery for the tribe on shrimp,” Homerding said. The research will help guide the tribe in creating an accurate harvest regime for co-managing shrimp with the state in South Sound.

Currently, the tribe splits a combined 3,000 pound quota for all shrimp species with non-tribal harvester, including 1,000 pounds for spot prawns. “There isn’t any commercial harvest by the tribe right now,” Homerding said. “Even with the few shrimp caught incidentally in crab fisheries, the tribe doesn’t come anywhere close to actually accessing those pounds.”

Part of the surveys include tracking the sizes at which shrimp change from male to female. Because shrimp change sex during their life cycle, the relative sizes of male and female shrimp can tell biologists a lot about the health of the local population. “If a population of shrimp is shrinking, we will see individuals changing sex earlier,” Homerding said.

Shellfish managers can consider the data the tribe is collecting now as a baseline for a healthy stock with little harvest pressure. “But, if we see smaller females in later years, we can assume they’re feeling the pressure to switch earlier, and we should reduce our fishing pressure,” she said.

The tribe is also tracking when shrimp are spawning. Usually, shrimp fisheries close when female shrimp are carrying eggs, protecting them from harvest. “There’s no reason to fish for shrimp when the next generation is at its most vulnerable,” Homerding said.

“Basic information that we’re collecting now will help guide harvest in the future,” said David Troutt, natural resources director for the tribe. “The Nisqually Tribe is committed to smart management that benefits both tribal and non-tribal communities.”

Nisqually Tribe working with neighbors to restore Ohop Creek

Kyle Kautz, Nisqually tribal natural resources, collects fish from a pool in the former Ohop Creek channel.
Kyle Kautz, Nisqually tribal natural resources, collects fish from a pool in the former Ohop Creek channel.

 

Source: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

 

This summer, the Nisqually Tribe, the Nisqually Land Trust and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group are tacking on another 1.5 miles of restored habitat to Ohop Creek.

“In this stretch of creek, salmon aren’t really given much space to feed or hide,” said David Troutt, natural resources director for the tribe. “We’ll be restoring the creek back to a natural shape and giving the salmon the habitat they need to survive.”

Over a century ago farmers turned the creek into a straight-flowing ditch in an attempt to dry out the valley floor and create cattle pasture. However, deep clay deposits in the soil continued to hold water year round, and despite the failed effort to completely dry the valley the stream remained channelized.

“It went from a shallow, meandering stream that was very good for salmon to a straight ditch,” Troutt said.

The Ohop Creek restoration will include digging an entirely new channel as well as adding other features, such as logjams and deep pools, that will provide habitat for salmon.

Salmon habitat restoration on the creek began in 2009 with a repaired one-mile channel just upstream of the new site. That channel was constructed to restore a sinuous stream that connected to its floodplain. The floodplain, now replanted with native vegetation, re-creates 80 acres of healthy riparian habitat that controls water temperatures and stabilizes the stream banks.

The project partners have already documented the progress of the upstream restoration. “We’ve seen a lot of changes, down to the types of birds that visit the site,” Troutt said. Early results include increased use by salmon and the return of wildlife species, such as elk, that had not been seen in the valley for decades.

Ohop Creek is one of two major tributaries to the Nisqually River that can support chinook salmon and steelhead, both of which are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. “Because there are only a few places other than the mainstem of the Nisqually River where they can spawn, increasing the quality of habitat in those places is important,” Troutt said. Ohop Creek also supports coho and pink salmon and cutthroat trout.

“Throughout Puget Sound, we’re seeing available salmon habitat continue to disappear, despite millions of dollars spent to restore and protect it,” Troutt said. “There is no larger threat to treaty rights than lost salmon habitat. Projects like this are a small step to reversing that trend.”

Nisqually tribal fisherman maximizing value of salmon

Nisqually fishers listen to a presentation on the upcoming salmon seasons and how to maximize the value of their catch.
Nisqually fishers listen to a presentation on the upcoming salmon seasons and how to maximize the value of their catch.

 

By: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Aug 4th, 2014

For the past several years, the Nisqually Tribe has bought and sold salmon caught by their fishermen. This summer, the tribe worked with Sea Grant and dozens of tribal fishermen to review techniques to increase the value of their salmon.

The goal of the program is to pass as much value as possible back to the fishermen. We wrote about the tribe’s fish marketing program last year:

The Nisqually Indian Tribe is creating a stable market for tribal fishermen by buying and processing salmon.

“What we’re trying to do here is to make sure tribal fishermen can afford to stay on the water,” said James Slape Jr., Nisqually Tribe councilmember.

…

“They’re able to keep the resource price consistently high throughout the season,” Slape said. “Our goal is to make sure that tribal fishers, not only Nisqually, take home livable wages. A good portion of the fishers rely on fishing as a single source of income for their families.”

Currently, the tribe is selling more than 6,000 pounds a month of tribally caught salmon to wholesalers and food supply companies.

By taking steps like icing and bleeding salmon soon after they’re caught, tribal fisherman can increase the health of the entire buying operation. “A higher quality of fish overall helps all the fishermen,” said Rick Thomas, who runs the buying program for the tribe.

One step the tribe took in 2011 to help fishermen was to invest thousands of dollars in an ice machine that makes 11 tons of ice available fishermen daily.

Nisqually Tribe’s garden program cultivates tradition, community

Nisqually Community Market Production Supervisor Carlin Briner helps a customer July 10th at their stand next to the tribal administration building. The tribe's community garden and weekly farm stand provides fresh produce for tribal and community members each week as members work from 8 a.m. until about noon on Thursday mornings in preparation for the afternoon garden stand which is set up at the tribal administration building near Yelm. STEVE BLOOM — The Olympian
Nisqually Community Market Production Supervisor Carlin Briner helps a customer July 10th at their stand next to the tribal administration building. The tribe’s community garden and weekly farm stand provides fresh produce for tribal and community members each week as members work from 8 a.m. until about noon on Thursday mornings in preparation for the afternoon garden stand which is set up at the tribal administration building near Yelm. STEVE BLOOM — The Olympian

 

By: Lisa Pemberton, The Olympian

 

The Nisqually Tribe’s Community Garden Program isn’t just about food.

It’s about youth, elders, health, jobs, culture and community.

The program, which is based at the tribe’s 250-acre culture center off Mounts Road near DuPont, produces enough fruits, vegetables, berries, herbs and flowers to support two weekly farm stands for members of the tribe and reservation community.

The farm’s crops, grown on about five acres of the land, also are used at community dinners, the elder’s program, nutrition classes and other efforts.

“We work with our own people, and we have sovereignty to feed our own people,” said garden field technician Grace Ann Byrd. “And we do it with love and prayer.”

Production supervisor Carlin Briner said the Nisqually tribe has a long history of community gardens.

About five years ago, it launched the community garden stand program, which is funded by the tribe and offers an array of produce that’s free or by donation-only for tribal and community members.

In 2013, the garden program harvested and distributed more than 5,000 pounds of produce to the tribal community, Briner said.

This year, for the first time, the program is producing enough bounty to support two weekly garden stands — one at the farm, and one at the tribal administration building.

“At this point, we aren’t selling produce to the wider community, though we may start at some point,” Briner said.

On a recent day, the farm stand at the administration building offered several baskets brimming with beets, peas, beans, lettuce, carrots, kale, potatoes and several types of herbs.

Beverly Owens, an executive secretary for the tribe, picked up some kale, bok choy and greens. She said she loves shopping at the stand.

“I know where it’s coming from,” Owens said. “When you go to the grocery store, you don’t.”

Briner said the garden program has planted smaller kitchen gardens elsewhere on the reservation, including at the tribe’s preschool and daycare.

Every fall, its workers organize a harvest party for the tribal community, featuring cider pressing, foods and gifts.

And throughout the year, the garden workers help lead or organize workshops on canning, cooking, nutrition and traditional medicine making.

Garden field technician Janell Blacketer said one of her favorite recipes is nettle pesto — as in stinging nettles.

“They’re so good for you,” she said.

The program’s goal is to serve as a hub for all of the tribe’s programs, Briner said.

“Food is relevant to everything,” she added.

Byrd said she enjoys working for the garden program because it’s about supporting the tribe’s future while helping preserve many of its age-old traditions.

“We always laugh, and joke and have a good time,” she said. “They say you never go around food angry, and you’re not supposed to work around food in a bad way.”

That way, when items are being served from the tribe’s garden, “you see the transference of those good times around the people,” Byrd added.

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2014/07/16/3229332/nisqually-tribes-garden-program.html?sp=/99/224/&ihp=1#storylink=cpy

Nisqually Tribe looking for connections between zooplankton and salmon

 

May 27th, 2014 Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

The Nisqually Indian Tribe is trying to find a way to predict future salmon runs by measuring what juvenile salmon eat on their way out to the ocean.

The tribe is expanding their research on local salmon to take a look at zooplankton in deep South Sound, which young salmon eat after leaving the Nisqually River. “Eventually, we might be able to connect the availability of food in Puget Sound with chinook runs three or four years down the line,” said David Troutt, natural resources director for the tribe.

As they migrate to the open ocean, juvenile salmon consume small animals like zooplankton. Nisqually tribal researchers want to find out if there’s less food in Puget Sound when salmon are migrating out, meaning fewer may be coming back.

Jed Moore and Emiliano Perez, Nisqually natural resources staff, deploy a plankton net in deep South Sound.
Jed Moore and Emiliano Perez, Nisqually natural resources staff, deploy a plankton net in deep South Sound.

The study will examine the entire community structure of competitors and predators, including plankton and other fish species. A smolt trap operated by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife on the Nisqually River will determine the timing, size and number of out-migrating salmon.

The tribe will sample juvenile fish from the Nisqually estuary and adjacent marine areas using a beach seine and lampara net. At the same time, the tribe will sample the water for zooplankton and other small animals. “If we find that in years when a lot of food is available, salmon survive to return at higher rates, we could more easily predict future salmon runs,” Troutt said.

In an earlier study of chinook leaving the Nisqually River, the tribe found a direct connection between fish that were able to find food in the river’s estuary and those able to make it back as adults. “We typically find two groups of juvenile chinook leaving the watershed,” Troutt said. “The fish that stayed and fed in the estuary survived to return as adults while those with other life history strategies did not.”

The tribe’s research is part of the region-wide Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. The project brings together researchers in both the United States and Canada to better understand the relationship between salmon and the marine environment.

Treaty Indian tribes are locally based and use cutting edge management techniques, making them uniquely qualified to conduct close to the ground research. “Being able to understand the salmon life cycle is important if we want to preserve our treaty protected right to harvest salmon,” said Georgiana Kautz, natural resources manager for the tribe. “Our treaty rights depend on there being fish actually available to harvest.”

Large Crowd Attends Memorial For Billy Frank Jr.

File photo of Billy Frank Jr. in 2011 at a ceremony for the removal of dams on Washington state's Elwha River. The well known fishing rights activist died Monday at the age of 83. | credit: Katie Campbell / Earthfix
File photo of Billy Frank Jr. in 2011 at a ceremony for the removal of dams on Washington state’s Elwha River. The well known fishing rights activist died Monday at the age of 83. | credit: Katie Campbell / Earthfix

 

Associated Press

SHELTON, Wash. (AP) — Thousands of people attended a funeral service for Billy Frank Jr., the Nisqually tribal elder who fought for Indian fishing rights in Washington state and was an advocate for salmon habitat.

Frank died May 5. He was 83.

Frank figured prominently in Northwest fish-in demonstrations of the 1960s and 1970s that eventually led to sweeping changes in how Washington manages salmon and other fish.

Among those at the service Sunday at the Little Creek Casino Resort’s Event Center were Gov. Jay Inslee and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. Inslee said Frank was a state and national leader and that when he spoke, “people listened.”

About 6,000 people attended the service, said Little Creek spokesman Greg Fritz. Crowds also watched the service on jumbo screens from a large tent and other areas of the resort.

The service featured traditional Indian Shaker Church prayers, a presentation of a folded U.S. flag for the family — Frank had served in the Marine Corps — and remarks from more than 20 tribal leaders and elected officials.

“I often said that no one cared more about salmon and the planet Earth than our friend Billy,” said former U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks.

Cantwell described him as “a legend that has walked among us,” comparing his legacy to those of Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

Frank was arrested more than 50 times for “illegal fishing” during the protests that came to be known as the fish wars. Patterned after the sit-ins of the civil rights movement, the campaign was part of larger nationwide movement in the 1960s for American Indian rights.

In 1992, Frank was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, whose winners include former President Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu.

Swinomish tribal chairman Brian Cladoosby, president of the National Congress of American Indians, described Frank as a forceful teacher and a truth teller.

“Billy treated everyone with respect, even when we failed to live up to his expectations,” Cladoosby said.

Nisqually Tribe helping drive regional economic recovery

People gather in front of the new, 26,000-square-foot Nisqually Tribal Center, during a dedication ceremony, Friday May 3, 2013, in Olympia. The building, which was built opposite the tribe's previous center, will house most of the governmental services provided to tribal members. Tribal history, tradition and culture are incorporated into the building's design.(Janet Jensen/Staff photographer)JANET JENSEN — Staff photographer
People gather in front of the new, 26,000-square-foot Nisqually Tribal Center, during a dedication ceremony, Friday May 3, 2013, in Olympia. The building, which was built opposite the tribe’s previous center, will house most of the governmental services provided to tribal members. Tribal history, tradition and culture are incorporated into the building’s design.(Janet Jensen/Staff photographer)
JANET JENSEN — Staff photographer
November 9, 2013

The Olympian

 

 

A bright light in the regional economic recovery is shining as years of planning, perseverance and investment by the Nisqually Tribe are coming into fruition.

Already one of Thurston County’s largest nonstate agency employers, the tribe is using revenue from our gaming enterprise to prime the broader economy by making investments in nongaming initiatives that benefit everyone.

Recent investments coming on-line include:

 • Two new market/gasoline stations — one in Lakewood and another in Nisqually Valley — are open, and a third on Marvin Road will be under construction soon. Total investment is more than $3 million and the outlets will provide more than 50 full- and part-time jobs.

 • In partnership with developer Wig Properties, the tribe has acquired the 215-acre Lacey Gateway property, next to and around Cabela’s in Lacey. We expect to site a large-scale phased mixed-use retail development on the property as the market demand grows.

 • WHH Nisqually Services is a construction and construction management company launched by the tribe that expects to be providing services to Joint Base Lewis McCord, Navy installations, and other major facilities.

 • She-Nah-Nam Seafoods is a new enterprise established to buy, process and sell high-quality, branded seafood. The operation will work in tandem with the shellfish farm the tribe has acquired and is operating on Henderson Inlet.

 • The new Public Safety Complex will provide up to 100 new jobs when it is completed later this year. In addition to the 60,000-square-foot building, contractors also extended fresh and wastewater lines and are building a wastewater treatment plant. Future plans call for a new fire station and judicial services facility at the site.

 • Private contractors, architects, landscapers and others collaborated on construction of important tribal infrastructure, including the new $10 million Tribal Center and the $7.6 million Youth and Community Center.

Nisqually’s annual payroll is more than $50 million, paid to more than 1,000 employees who live throughout Thurston and Pierce counties – and we’re hiring more people. The tribe spends tens of millions of dollars a year buying goods and services from private companies — and we’re increasing spending each year. We’re generating more taxes for local and state government.

Last year the tribe donated $2.5 million to charitable and local government partners to help keep people safe, to help children succeed, to improve community health, to honor veterans and to protect the environment.

Nisqually’s economic progress, and the contribution the tribe is making to the regional economic recovery, has been made possible with the exceptional support we receive from local governments — especially the cities of Olympia, Lakewood, Lacey, and Thurston and Pierce counties — and from state and federal elected officials and agencies.

At Nisqually, we are just getting started. Our goal is to diversify the tribal economy, provide jobs and opportunities for our members, and create benefits for the entire region.

Cynthia Iyall is chairwoman of the Nisqually Tribal Council.

Tribes Try Alternative Fishing Gear

Nisqually Tribe uses tangle nets, beach seines to reduce impact on chinook

E. O’ConnellBenji Kautz, Nisqually Tribe, unloads chinook during the tribe’s fishery last fall.
E. O’Connell
Benji Kautz, Nisqually Tribe, unloads chinook during the tribe’s fishery last fall.

E. O’Connell, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are experimenting with fishing methods that help conserve depressed salmon

and steelhead stocks. The Nisqually Tribe began using alternative gear a few years ago, and this spring, the Lummi Nation and Upper Skagit Indian Tribe both held tangle net fisheries. Tangle nets are similar to gillnets, but have a smaller mesh size.

The Nisqually Indian Tribe will continue to lower impacts on returning chinook salmon this year.

“To make good on our recent gains in habitat restoration in the Nisqually, fishermen need to decrease how many natural origin chinook are caught,” said David Troutt, natural resources director for the tribe.

In recent years, the tribe has implemented drastic changes to its fishing regime, including a decrease of 15 fishing days since 2004; reducing the number of nets that can be used by a fisherman from three to two; and having just less than a month of mark-selective fishing with tangle nets and beach seines.

This year’s fishing plan will continue implementing mark-selective fishing, but only with beach seines.

“A historically large run of pink salmon is forecast to come in alongside chinook and coho this year,” Troutt said. Tangle

nets – which ensnare fish by their teeth – would catch an un- usually high number of pinks, which tribal fishermen aren’t targeting.

“Since 2004, Nisqually tribal fishermen have already cut hundreds of hours off their chinook season,” Troutt said. “Tribal fishermen are bearing the brunt of conservation for these fish so we can help them recover.”

In a mark-selective fishery, fishermen release natural origin fish that haven’t had their adipose fin removed in a hatchery. The adipose fin is a soft, fleshy fin found on the back behind the dorsal fin. Its removal does not affect the salmon.

“Mark-selective fisheries are a useful tool and the Nisqually is a unique place in western Washington where it could benefit salmon and tribal fisheries,” Troutt said.