The Olympian | Will Nisqually Tribe own a major salmon hatchery? There’s a push from lawmakers
By: Ty Vinson
Three Washington lawmakers have kickstarted an effort to restore the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s ownership of the Clear Creek Hatchery. The hatchery is located on tribal ancestral lands but is currently owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
According to a March 5 news release from U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland’s office, Strickland introduced a bill called the Nisqually Clear Creek Hatchery Land Transfer Act of 2026. on Feb. 11. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell introduced the bill in the Senate on March 5.
Strickland said in the release that the land the hatchery is on belongs to the Nisqually Tribe, and that they should own their hatchery. The hatchery is on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, accessible via the Mounts Road Gate, on the eastern side of the Nisqually River.
“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,” she said in the release.
The USFWS currently owns the hatchery buildings but does not provide funding for operations or for maintaining the buildings, according to the release. And because the land is currently owned by the USFWS, the tribe can’t use federal funds through the USFWS or the Bureau of Indian Affairs to afford maintenance. The financial responsibility has been the tribe’s for more than 20 years.
Transferring ownership of the hatchery to the Nisqually Indian Tribe would allow the tribe to access funds to support the hatchery, according to the release.
Nisqually Chairman Ken Choke said in the release that the Clear Creek Hatchery is essential to the tribe’s fisheries program.
“I myself once worked there protecting the existence of our future salmon runs,” he said. “The tribe has been relentless in its efforts to obtain ownership of these facilities, which we have already operated for years.”
Cantwell said in the release that the Nisqually Tribe has long been a leader in helping bring more salmon back to the Nisqually River, and in protecting the entire watershed.
“The Clear Creek Hatchery is a keystone of these efforts, producing millions of salmon smolts each year,” she said. “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.”
Murray called the bill commonsense and said that it would right a historic wrong. She said the tribe has long been maintaining the hatchery without any federal financial support.
“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,” she said in the release. “I am going 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.”
Spokesperson Siena Miller with Strickland’s office told The Olympian that Strickland anticipates the transfer to move forward quickly, but that both chambers are waiting on the USFWS to send over the “necessary approval documentation.”