Nisqually Indian Tribe Food Sovereignty Assessment
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The Nisqually Tribe harvests salmon commercially and for ceremonial and subsistence purposes, with about 30 boats fishing regularly. Tribal members also harvest shellfish commercially, with about 80 harvesting geoducks. The Tribe manages salmon runs including Chinook, pink, coho, chum, and steelhead. Chinook fishing is particularly important culturally but the wild run is extinct, though hatchery fish return. Pink and chum runs vary greatly in size year to year. In 2016 there was no commercial chum fishery due to low returns. Most productive shellfish areas are now on private land.
Nisqually Indian Tribe Food Sovereignty Assessment
- 5. 2017 Nisqually Food Sovereignty Assessment
- 6. 2017 Nisqually Food Sovereignty Assessment
- 7. 2017 Nisqually Food Sovereignty Assessment
- 8. 2017 Nisqually Food Sovereignty Assessment
- 11. Nisqually Tribal Members harvest salmon commercially and for ceremonial and subsistence (C&S) use. The definition of a Ceremonial and Subsistence (C&S) fishery, according to the Boldt Decision, is: Ceremonial: Traditional tribal ceremonies Subsistence: Personal subsistence consumption by tribal members and their immediate families.
- 12. There are approximately 30 boats captained by Nisqually tribal members that go out regularly to fish.
- 13. The Salmon Harvest Program oversees Chinook, Pink, Coho, and Chum salmon runs, as well as Steelhead. Chinook July - October Pink August - October Coho Late August - December Chum Late November - February Steelhead December - May
- 14. The Nisqually Tribe also operates two hatcheries - Clear Creek Hatchery and Kalama Creek Hatchery - that release Hatchery Chinook and Hatchery Coho salmon into the Nisqually River.
- 15. Chinook The Nisqually Chinook fishery is one of the largest Treaty Chinook fisheries in the Puget Sound Region. Wild Nisqually genetic chinook is extinct due to dams, overharvest, and habitat destruction. However, Clear Creek Hatchery and Kalama Creek Hatchery raise and release Chinook into the Nisqually River, and a small wild run of Chinook that are strays from these facilities make it to the spawning ground.
- 16. Chinook Chinook salmon have the longest life span of the Pacific salmon and can grow as large as adult humans: over 100 pounds! Their average commercial weight is 11 pounds, with a range of 5-35 pounds in the Nisqually River.
- 17. - 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Nisqually River Chinook Total Chinook Run Treaty Chinook Catch Chinook Chinook are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Program staff work diligently each year to ensure that Nisqually tribal members can still fish this important traditional species, while managing closely not to violate the ESA.
- 18. Pink Pink salmon enter their spawning grounds from August-October every two years. They spawn primarily in the mainstem of the Nisqually River, but also in Ohop Creek, Yelm Creek, and Mashel River.
- 19. 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 600000 700000 800000 900000 1000000 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Nisqually River Pink Pink Runsize Treaty Pink Catch Pink Pink salmon runs occur every odd year. Pink catch in the Nisqually River is incidental to the directed Chinook fishery. Pink runs can be astoundingly huge. In 2013, the total Nisqually Pink run was 917,573 almost a million fish! In 2015, the total Nisqually Pink run size was 204,200, and the treaty Pink catch was 10,171.
- 20. 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Nisqually River Coho Total Coho Run Treaty Coho Catch Coho Coho salmon are also known as silvers. Cohos enter the Nisqually River between July-December. They spawn from November-early February in almost all accessible streams in the Nisqually basin. After emerging, juvenile Coho remain in the river system for over a year before migrating to saltwater.
- 21. Winter chum has historically been the most important stock, culturally and economically, to the Nisqually Tribe. We want to make sure enough salmon make it up the river to spawn. -Farron McCloud, chair of the Nisqually Tribe, on closing the commercial fishery in 2016 Chum
- 22. Chum The chum run has been very important throughout history, because it has sustained Nisqually people through the long wet Winter when other foods are less available. The winter chum run is generally Late November through February and is an entirely wild run of salmon that has supported families for generations. The co-managers must manage this unique run very carefully to make sure a critical mass of chum can spawn each year. Run numbers are increasingly threatened by incidental preterminal harvest during the Fall Chum Run and predators, such as sea lions and harbor seals. The Nisqually River has the latest chum run on the West Coast, and one of the latest runs on the planet.
- 23. 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000 100000 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Nisqually River Winter Chum Total Chum Runsize Treaty Chum Catch Treaty Catch Total Run Size 2014 15,418 53,716 2015 6,359 26,514 2016 378 14,328 Chum In 2016, there was no commercial Nisqually chum fishery because of conservation concerns. Due to forecast concerns, there was no planned commercial fishery in 2017 unless the escapement is projected to be met. However, there has been a C&S fishery that allows tribal members to provide for their families, while not harming efforts to restore the overall population.
- 28. Most shellfish-rich tidelands in the Nisqually Tribes U&A were sold by the state to private owners in the 1800s & 1900s. Private shellfish companies bought up the best habitat, and now these commercial shellfish farms are not accessible to tribal members. Consequently, the remaining productive shellfish beds in the Nisqually Tribes U&A are on public and private lands accessible only by boat. Harvesting therefore requires an expensive investment in specialized equipment. As a result, most Tribal Members only make that investment if they are harvesting commercially.
- 29. There are approximately 80 Nisqually Tribal Members who are commercial geoduck harvesters,14 commercial crab harvesters, and 3 shrimp harvesters. There are approximately 6 Nisqually tribal members who harvest shellfish for subsistence on a regular basis. Commercial harvesters sell to distributors, who sell and ship to commercial buyers.
- 30. Approximately 90% of the Nisqually geoduck harvest goes to China and Hong Kong, while 10% stays in the US for local markets. In China, geoduck can sell for over $150/pound.