Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced the Nisqually Clear Creek Hatchery Land Transfer Act of 2026. The bill transfers the Clear Creek hatchery, located on Nisqually Indian Tribe’s ancestral lands, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to the Nisqually Indian Tribe. The Senate version of the bill was introduced today, led by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA).
“This land belongs to the Nisqually Tribe, and they should own their hatchery,” said Congresswoman Strickland. “Restoring hatchery ownership to the Nisqually Tribe ensures they can exercise their Tribal Treaty rights, fully maintain the buildings, apply for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding, and better support their fisheries program for current and future generations.”
“The Nisqually Tribe has long been a leader in bringing more salmon back to the Nisqually River and protecting the entire watershed. The Clear Creek Hatchery is a keystone of these efforts, producing millions of salmon smolts each year. Finally acquiring the Clear Creek Hatchery will allow the Tribe to make more investments in boosting salmon populations to reduce pressure on endangered Chinook and ensure access to fishing opportunities in South Puget Sound,” said Senator Cantwell.
“The Nisqually Tribe are leaders in protecting our salmon, long maintaining the Clear Creek Hatchery without any federal financial support—this commonsense bill would right that historic wrong,” said Senator Murray. “By transferring the hatchery into Nisqually Tribe ownership, the Tribe will be able to use federal funds to continue to operate and maintain its buildings and infrastructure. I am going to continue to do everything I can to support our salmon runs, and ensure the federal government fulfills its trust and treaty obligations to the Nisqually Tribe.”
The USFWS currently owns the Clear Creek hatchery buildings yet does not provide any funds for operations or maintenance. Since the land is owned by USFWS, the Tribe cannot use any federal funds through USFWS or the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to support its maintenance.
For over twenty years, building upkeep has become the financial responsibility of the Nisqually Tribe. This bill fixes the problem by transferring the hatchery into Tribe ownership, so the buildings and infrastructure can be maintained appropriately – ensuring salmon populations in the region can continue to thrive.
“The Clear Creek Hatchery is essential to our fisheries program. I myself once worked there protecting the existence of our future salmon runs. The Tribe has been relentless in its efforts to obtain ownership of these facilities, which we have already operated for years. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Senator Cantwell and Representative Strickland for their tireless advocacy of Nisqually’s efforts and for introducing this bill while also thanking the Administration and FWS Director Nesvik for their support of this legislation,” said Nisqually Indian Tribe Chairman, Ken Choke.
“I want to thank Senator Cantwell and Representative Strickland for the introduction of this commonsense bill. Transfer of ownership of these facilities from the FWS to the Nisqually Tribe will allow the Tribe to make much needed upgrades to the Clear Creek Hatchery while investing in its future and sustainable salmon runs,” added Nisqually Indian Tribe Vice Chairwoman, Cheebo Frazier.
Read the full bill text here.
Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is Whip of the New Democrat Coalition, Secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress.
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