Aquaculture: A Tribal Perspective
By Kurt Grinnell, Council Member and CEO, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Jamestown Aquaculture, and Board Member, Northwest Aquaculture Alliance
On February 6, I presented about my Tribe’s involvement in aquaculture during a Work Session on finfish aquaculture hosted by the Washington State Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee. (Work Session begins at 40:55).
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, located in Washington State, has a long history with aquaculture. You could say it’s in our DNA. Remnants of a clam garden, an ancient aquaculture technology, from 3,500-years ago can still be seen today on Quadra Island, an island off the coast of Vancouver Island.
As our Tribal Chairman, W. Ron Allen, has said:
“The tribe has two parallel goals in everything we do — to continue to be stewards of our traditional homelands and natural resources so that we can continue to fish, hunt and gather our treaty resources; and to generate revenue to fund programs and services to our tribal citizens.
Aquaculture fulfills our goals, as we utilize best practices to protect the environment while growing a naturalized resource that provides marine-based jobs and revenue for our Tribe.”
Demand for fish is growing and wild harvesting cannot meet the demand alone. While we need to continue to support our wild stock fisheries, an important source of seafood, we should work toward expanding sustainable aquaculture here in Washington State and throughout the United States.
The U.S. has a seafood consumption market demand. Americans need to eat more seafood for good health practices. Expanding aquaculture will help provide Americans with healthy, locally grown seafood in a responsible and sustainable way because aquaculture has the lowest carbon and environmental footprint of any protein. Aquaculture is highly regulated, which helps us protect and preserve our natural resources for future generations and provides integrity to our operations.
Our Tribe successfully operates four aquaculture enterprises and has formed many community partnerships, including with the University of Washington to produce geoduck seed, and the Puget Sound Restoration Fund to help bring back the scarce Olympia oyster.
To support increased aquaculture production in Washington State, we need a plan that includes increased research, development, education and more. Other U.S. states and countries, such as Maine and New Zealand, already have plans in place.
Four of our Tribe’s guiding principles are to harvest only what is needed to eat and trade; respect the land and the water; plan for the next Seven Generations; and give thanks to the Great Spirit. Responsible aquaculture helps our Tribe meet these goals and continue to eat and trade and protect our natural resources for generations to come.
Aquaculture is part of our Tribe’s history and is going to be a part of our future: it has to be a part of our goals. Our Tribe will continue advocating for an aquaculture plan that supports food sovereignty in Washington State and is supported by our elected officials, executive agencies and other tribes.
Kurt Grinnell was elected to the Tribal Council in October 2004. He has served on the Hunting and Fishing Committee for 33 years. He currently serves as Tribal Policy Liaison for the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department protecting our Point-No-Point Treaty of 1855. In 1981 he became a gillnet fisher, and then began attending fin-fish negotiation meetings with other Treaty Tribes.