Federal and Tribal Leaders Celebrate $240 Million for Tribal Hatchery Modernization

Tribal, federal, and state leaders gathered at the Tulalip Reservation on October 3 to celebrate $240 million in federal funding for tribal hatcheries. This Inflation Reduction Act investment will help 27 tribes from Northern California to Southeast Alaska meet urgent maintenance and modernization needs of tribal Pacific salmon and steelhead hatcheries.

NOAA Fisheries partnered with the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs to disperse the funds. Initial payments of $2 million are currently being distributed to each of the 27 tribes. The remaining $186 million will be allocated by competitive grants in 2025.

Treaties with the U.S. government in the 1850s promised many tribes hunting and fishing rights. However, the decline of salmon in Northwest rivers has left the hatcheries to provide many of the fish for tribal fisheries. The commitment of funding by the Biden-Harris Administration is a step toward delivering on the treaty promises that tribes would have fish to catch.

"In the course of 3 months, from starting conversations, I started getting letters from 22 tribes with an agreed path forward," said Jennifer Quan, West Coast Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, to a crowd of nearly 70 people. "Thank you to all the tribes who rolled up their sleeves and got to an agreement very fast. It's helping us get this program on the ground quickly. I think this is the fastest the tribes and the federal government have ever moved together."

A Tulalip tribal color guard and singers and dancers kicked off the event, which Tulalip Chairwoman Teri Gobin opened with a prayer. Tulalip Vice Chair Misty Napeahi emceed. Speakers included Washington Governor Jay Inslee, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, and Bryan Newland, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs for the Department of the Interior.

Many Tribes Attend Celebration

Tribal leaders and elders from many of the 27 tribes attended the celebration on the shore of the Salish Sea. It was held at the reservation in Washington state, north of Seattle. Tribal representation from across the Pacific Northwest included the Metlakatla Indian Community of Southeast Alaska, as well as Columbia Basin Plateau, Puget Sound, and Washington coastal tribes.

"We want to thank NOAA for listening. We go back a lot as tribal governments to Washington, D.C. and the state level and sometimes we're met with closed ears. We can't get the work done unless people are willing to listen to what we have to say," said Tulalip Vice Chair Napeahi in closing remarks. "I just want to raise my hands to all of you for listening and putting money towards these improvements because it's absolutely necessary."

The event continued with visits to Tulalip tribal hatchery facilities. The lower pond of Tulalip Creek teemed with coho salmon returning to their release site, as tribal fishing boats dotted the expanse of Tulalip Bay. Ninety-five percent of Chinook and coho salmon harvested by Tulalip tribal members come from tribal hatcheries, said Jason Gobin, Executive Director of Natural and Cultural Resources for the Tulalip Tribes.

While the hatchery is still productive, funding will help address deferred maintenance and update hatchery operations to the latest in hatchery science and technology. Decades-old hatchery infrastructure needs upgrades to release salmon smolts and the collection of broodstock with more efficiency and targeted timing, Gobin said.

Hatchery Requires Updates

Gobin presented initial plans for modernizing the Tulalip Tribes' Bernie Kai-Kai Gobin Salmon Hatchery. While the Tribe has already set aside funds for renovations, federal resources will kick-start the improvements. Most other eligible tribes, including the Nez Perce Tribe and the Lummi Nation, have identified specific plans for hatchery upgrades.

"This is a much needed injection into the infrastructure that supports all these hatcheries," Gobin told media at the event.

Tribal Pacific salmon and steelhead hatcheries help the U.S. government fulfill its treaty obligations to tribal nations, while also removing fishing pressure on wild stocks. Some tribal hatchery programs have also led to the rebound of wild salmon. For example, the Nez Perce efforts have revitalized Snake River fall-run Chinook salmon; the Lummi Nation's hatchery program has restored spring-run Chinook in the Nooksack River.

Beyond treaty promises and conservation goals, tribal hatcheries drive tribal employment, nutrition, and the preservation of cultural traditions. The millions of Pacific salmon and steelhead produced by tribal hatcheries annually also support non-tribal commercial and recreational fisheries, sustaining tourism and working waterfronts.

"I know how hard the tribes have worked to keep these tribal hatcheries going, because they are so important to their culture and way of life," Quan said. "I am proud that we have been able to provide such substantial new funding for the hatcheries. It tells me that the nation recognizes these hatcheries' crucial role in delivering on the treaty promises that the government made to many tribes so long ago."

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