An illegal fishing case involving Tulalip Tribal members is symbolic of bigger concerns with state interference in tribal sovereignty, Indigenous citizens say.
After a judge dismissed charges of shellfish trafficking on treaty grounds, tribes and treaty rights organizations say the case exemplifies how officials are working to undermine treaty fishing rights and agreements.
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians is calling on Governor Inslee and/or Attorney General Bob Ferguson to investigate the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Ferguson’s office after a 5+ year investigation and prosecution of two Tulalip fishermen that ended with charges being tossed out.