1974 - The Boldt Decision

In 1974, an intertribal organization representing 20 Western Washington treaty tribes formed in response to the first ruling in the Boldt decision. The Boldt decision reaffirmed tribal treaty fishing rights and ruled that Washington’s salmon and steelhead fisheries be co-managed by state and tribes. U.S. District Court Judge George Boldt ruled that the Native Americans were entitled to half of the fish harvest as intended by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. His interpretation of this treaty became known as the Boldt decision.

As salmon populations declined in the twentieth century, competition grew between Indian, commercial, and sport fishermen. The Boldt decision ruled that Washington's fisheries be co-managed by the state and the tribes. After nearly a decade of struggles between the state and tribal community, the commission and state agencies developed a cooperative model that has led to more effective management of salmon resources.