Nooksack Tribe collaborative teaming to address shellfish harvest closures in Drayton Harbor

The Nooksack Indian Tribe reservation is located at the foot of the North Cascades Mountains, near Deming, WA, and approximately 13 miles east of Bellingham and the Salish Sea. Drayton Harbor is part of the Salish Sea and is the Tribe’s traditional shellfish gathering area. Drayton Harbor is also an important shellfish gathering and production area for commercial and recreational uses. The Harbor has been under a TMDL for fecal coliform bacteria for more than 10 years for non-compliance with state water quality standards. Although re-opened to year-round harvest in late 2016, Drayton Harbor’s shellfish have been subjected to various harvest restrictions since 1988 due to poor water quality. Over the years, these fecal pollution related closures have significantly impacted the ability of tribal members, general public, and commercial groups to harvest shellfish. In 2012, the Tribe actively teamed with local, state and federal Whatcom Clean Water Program partners to ramp up targeted monitoring in the Drayton Harbor watershed. The Nooksack Tribe voluntarily funded routine monthly water sampling at over 30 monitoring sites in the watershed. Program partners used the data to further bracket sample stream segments to locate potential fecal coliform bacteria pollution sources and to help carry out a Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) program. The objective of this presentation is to summarize the Tribe’s sampling efforts and results, as well as share the experience of participating in an effective, collaborative team focused on improving water quality to re-open the harbor to Tribal, recreational, and commercial shellfish harvest