Steelhead hold in raceways at Kendall Hatchery on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
LUMMI NATION, Wash. — The Lummi Nation secured more than $20.7 million in federal funding to modernize two tribal salmon hatcheries in Northwest Washington.
The Lummi Indian Business Council announced Friday that the tribe will receive $20,781,339 through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and NOAA Competitive Hatchery Modernization and Maintenance Program.
The funding will upgrade Skookum Creek Hatchery and Lummi Bay Hatchery. Both facilities play an important role in salmon restoration and tribal fisheries.
Tribal leaders say the investment will strengthen salmon recovery and protect treaty fishing rights.
The project will upgrade spawning facilities and build modern raceways. Crews will also improve water management systems and replace aging hatchery infrastructure.
Together, these improvements aim to boost salmon production and stabilize fish populations important to tribal culture.
“These improvements strengthen our ability to protect and restore salmon populations central to our culture, treaty rights, and way of life,” the Lummi Indian Business Council said in a statement.
Federal Program Targets Aging Tribal Hatcheries
The funding comes from a federal tribal hatchery program created through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Washington U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell helped establish the program.
The program set aside about $240 million for tribal hatchery modernization across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
As a result, tribes can repair aging infrastructure and expand hatchery capacity.
Cantwell said the funding will help tribes strengthen salmon recovery while modernizing older facilities.
“This program gives tribes the resources they need to boost salmon production and modernize aging hatcheries,” Cantwell said when announcing the initiative.
Many tribal hatcheries in the region are decades old. Because of that, many facilities require major repairs or modernization.
Supporting Salmon Recovery and Treaty Rights
For the Lummi Nation, salmon restoration connects directly to treaty fishing rights.
Healthy salmon runs also support the region’s ecosystems and fishing economy.
The tribe credited several leaders for helping secure the funding. Those leaders include former Councilmember Lisa Wilson and Councilmember Gerald James.
The tribe also thanked Tom Chance of the Natural Resources Department for his work coordinating the project.
In addition, the Lummi Nation thanked Cantwell’s office for supporting the federal funding effort.
Now tribal leaders say planning and infrastructure work will begin in the coming months.
Officials expect to release additional updates as the modernization projects move forward.
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