161 



Testimony of the NWIFC February 18, 1993 



on Fish & Wildlife Management Page 10 



Tribes are managers of the resource, not simply users 



It is important to note that tribes are natural resource managers. Such management 

 is culturally based, and predates written history. It is also embodied in treaties, 

 litigation and sometimes in legislation. Tribes are sovereign entities, and have 

 primary management on-reservation. As such it is important to understand that 

 tribes must have clear authority to enforce natural resource regulations on all lands 

 within reservation boundaries. 



Shared responsibility with the states and federal governments on off-reservation 

 resources are critical to fulfill treaty responsibilities. In some cases tribes have been 

 clearly integrated in off-reservation planning and management efforts. In other 

 cases, tribes have been excluded, either deliberately or because federal policy did 

 afford tribal participation at the time of law passage. Support is needed for the 

 tribes to be able to participate on fishery management councils and inter-state 

 compacts as appropriate. It is also important that tribal governments have standing 

 and the ability to fully participate in inter-jurisdictional decisions affecting off- 

 reservation resources. 



The federal government has obligations to the tribes 



The federal government has outstanding obligations and responsibilities for the 

 protection and proper management of fish and wildlife. This obligation extends 

 beyond mere protection and management to insuring access and availability of 

 natural resources to the Indian people. 



This obligation also transcends mere paternalism, and must reflect tribal interests 

 and approaches. It must reflect a government-to-government approach which 

 respects tribal self determination and self-governance. Tribes may be at different 

 levels of understanding or interest, and the federal government must be positioned 

 to meet the needs of the tribes on their terms, and not the terms of the federal 

 bureaucracy. 



Effective tribal management is a function of infrastructure 



The ability of the tribes to effectively manage the natural resources we have 

 depended upon since time immemorial requires that we have the capabilities for the 

 next century. 



As a result of the US v. Washington decision. Congress appropriated funding for 

 each tribe to develop their individual management programs. In addition, the tribes 

 supported resources to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission to assist in 

 implementing legal obligations. 



