Fisheries

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides for the listing of species as “endangered” or “threatened” and prohibits the “take” of endangered species. Take is defined by the ESA as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.” NOAA Fisheries has extended the prohibition against take of endangered species to west coast salmon and steelhead populations listed as threatened under the ESA.

“Salmon and steelhead hatchery programs that Puyallup Tribe of Indians operates in regions with fish and wildlife listed under the federal ESA are reviewed by NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (where species under USFWS jurisdiction are present, such as bull trout) to ensure consistency with the requirements of the ESA. These requirements are defined in Limit 6 (programs operated under U.S. v. Washington or U.S. v. Oregon) of the ESA §4(d) Rules for salmon and steelhead, 50 CFR 223.203(b).”

Associated Hatchery Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) for Clarks Creek Hatchery Fall Chinook, Clarks Creek Hatchery Fall Coho, and Diru Creek Fall Chum are posted for review and available for NOAA public comment.

Clarks Creek Fall Chinook HGMP

Diru Creek Fall Chum HGMP

Clarks Creek Fall Coho HGMP

Puyallup Tribal fisherman during chum season on the Puyallup River. Photo courtesy of Emmett O’Connell, NWIFC.

As directed by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians the Puyallup Tribal Fisheries Department shall, “preserve, protect and enhance salmon in usual and accustomed areas, and the water resources that determine their viability.” It’s the department’s goal to fulfill its obligations by leading and participating in habitat restoration efforts, harvest management/policy, fish enhancement projects and research and monitoring activities.

Between the signing of the Medicine Creek Treaty in 1854 and the Boldt Decision in 1974 there was no legal standing for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to maintain their inherent rights of fishing. As a result of the Boldt decision, the tribe was allocated 50% of harvest and management responsibility for salmon runs on their usual and accustoms fishing areas. Shortly after the mandate, the Puyallup Tribal Fisheries Department began a small office and hatchery. During this time a small number of individuals made great efforts to establish salmon enhancement projects that benefited both tribal and non-tribal fisherman alike.

The Fisheries Department continues to grow and maintains a large presence in the Puyallup River watershed. The department leads efforts to preserve and restore salmon habitat throughout a watershed that is showing many symptoms associated with logging, urbanization, and a rapidly expanding human population. In addition, the tribe continues to identify enhancement opportunities and create restoration projects, while participating in research related to salmon recovery efforts.

The department closely monitors the status of salmon populations both within and outside its jurisdiction and strives to maintain healthy, harvestable salmon populations for the benefit of all. We continue to refine management practices and participate in decision making processes that protect the resource, while maintaining the Tribe’s cultural and economic identity. The Puyallup Fisheries Department, under the direction of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, has and will continue to participate and lead efforts in preserving the natural resources that define this unique portion of Puget Sound.