Help us set the table for generations to come.

The Suquamish have lived in harmony with the lands and waterways of the Salish Sea since time immemorial.

Our people depend on healthy and abundant shellfish for our livelihoods, sustenance, and culture. The old Coast Salish proverb says, “When the tide is out, the table is set.” It is our responsibility to care for the Salish Sea, just as it nourished our people for thousands of years.

Our home is one of the largest urbanized estuaries in North America. While still capable of providing food and sustenance for our families, many contemporary environmental issues threaten the sustainability of our shellfish resources. Urbanization and shoreline development limit access to our ancestral tidelands, pollution and runoff make our clams unsafe to eat, marine heatwaves and ocean acidification are hurting our shellfish. Many of our native species are in decline, creating an opportunity for invasive species to take root.

For too long, we have depended on others for help with these challenges. It is now time for us to lead the charge and build our own shellfish hatchery, allowing us to focus on our needs as well as those of our neighbors. The hatchery will be a place where we produce shellfish seed, research opportunities, and educate our youth. It will also be a place where we reconnect with our traditional foods and ways.

Donate

Learn more about the Suquamish Shellfish Hatchery by exploring the tabs. And when you are ready to help support this exciting project, please contact the Suquamish Foundation at (360) 394-8453 or foundation_email@suquamish.nsn.us.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Fisheries & Economic Development

Suquamish People actively engage in commercial shellfish harvests and resource co-management with other tribes and the State of Washington. Our Tribe manages over 300 beaches for Manila clams and co-manages geoduck and sea cucumber fisheries. Harvests contribute to the financial wellbeing of the community by creating opportunities to sell shellfish to wholesale and retail markets. Our beaches are enhanced with clam seeds when surplus is available from local hatcheries. But, today, demand greatly exceeds supply.

The geoduck fishery brings significant revenue to our Tribe. However, resource availability has declined over the past few years. While management strategies are implemented to alleviate pressure on a declining stock, the Washington State Geoduck Co-Management Task Force was formed in 2024 to investigate impacts on the resource and find solutions to the problem. One of the recommendations made by the task force is to explore the feasibility of enhancing geoduck wild stock with juvenile clams produced in hatchery.

Suquamish Seafood Enterprises (SSE), a business arm of our Tribe, manages local oyster and geoduck farms. The enterprise successfully produces and markets high-end shellfish thanks to high-quality sea water flowing through Agate Passage in the Salish Sea.

The shellfish hatchery will provide abundant shellfish seeds for all Suquamish shellfish operations and wild fisheries stock restoration. It is expected to have a positive impact on the Tribe’s local economy for decades to come as we continue exercising our treaty rights and our shellfish practices like we have since time immemorial.

Fisheries & Economic Development – Printable

Research & Restoration

The Salish Sea is rich with shellfish. However, many of our native species are in decline. Our Olympia oyster was nearly harvested to extinction a hundred years ago. More recently, pinto abalone was in jeopardy. Basket cockles, a favorite of our people, have been closed for harvest on most Suquamish beaches for nearly a decade. There are growing concerns about the sustainability of geoduck, sea cucumber, and littleneck clam fisheries.

A tribally led shellfish hatchery will provide a powerful foundation for advancing research and restoration in the Salish Sea. By combining Indigenous stewardship with modern science, the hatchery will produce resilient seed for culturally, ecologically, and economically important species. This will directly support the recovery of declining wild populations while sustaining traditional harvests that are central to community well-being. In addition to seed production, the hatchery will serve as a living laboratory to investigate the effects of ocean acidification, warming waters, and emerging shellfish diseases. The knowledge generated will guide adaptive management strategies that benefit both aquaculture and wild populations.

Grounded in Indigenous governance and values, this work will ensure research and restoration are deeply connected to community priorities, cultural identity, and traditional relationships with shellfish. The hatchery will also create opportunities for intergenerational learning, where traditional ecological knowledge and scientific methods come together to train future Native leaders in stewardship. By strengthening ecological resilience, revitalizing cultural practices, and reinforcing local economies, this hatchery will empower us to shape the future of shellfish restoration and management in ways that honor millennia of connection to these vital resources.

Research & Restoration – Printable

Food Sovereignty & Culture

We consider shellfish foods sacred. They are foods that feed our souls. The Tribe’s Traditional Food and Medicine Program focuses on native foods and herbal medicines to promote the health and wellbeing of the community. The program develops preservation methods and recipes using traditional and contemporary tools.

A new Indigenous Food Lab will be incorporated inside the hatchery building for research and development of Native food preservation. This space will be designed as a kitchen lab with equipment used for exploring smoking, drying, and other food preservation methods.

This space will offer opportunities to teach tribal members and share knowledge with other tribes. It will foster an environment of sharing traditional ecological wisdom and values that are not mainstream in contemporary society.

Expanding capacity of Native food preservation is crucial in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, oil spill, or flood when shellfish beaches could close for long durations of time, impairing tribal access to fresh shellfish.

No existing hatchery produces native shellfish preferred by members of the Suquamish Tribe. The Tribe previously worked with partners to develop a protocol to produce basket cockles in a hatchery setting, but this was accomplished in very limited capacity. The new hatchery will open greater possibilities to bring back this once abundant clam.

Food Sovereignty & Culture – Printable

Education

The Suquamish Tribe’s Chief Kitsap Academy (CKA) is a tribal compact 6-12 school committed to delivering culturally based learning environments that prepare students for successful futures. CKA high school students can enroll in a Career and Technical Education pathway which focuses on Marine Biology and Natural Resources, including fisheries and shellfisheries curriculum. Juniors all take an Environmental Science course which highlights tribally important subjects like water quality, wastewater, climate change impacts, and ecosystem changes.

The Suquamish Tribe’s shellfish program already collaborates with CKA students and teachers to create opportunities to participate in ongoing sea cucumber population monitoring, diving demonstrations to see subtidal organisms, and field trips to teach students shellfish survey methods. These are hands-on, relevant learning opportunities that engage students. With shellfish staff already proving their capability to effectively run educational experiences for students at CKA, the shellfish hatchery will fill the school’s need for a science lab.

The hatchery will create on-going opportunities to serve Suquamish students and students from the community at large. The new hatchery educational space will be a catalyst for career pathways to marine sciences and shellfish aquaculture, offering internships, training workshops, speaker series, and hatchery tours.

Education – Printable

About the Facility

The Suquamish Shellfish Hatchery will be a state-of-the-art facility utilizing the latest technologies to support shellfish seed production, restoration and research. Energy efficiency and biosecurity will be prioritized with the inclusion of solar energy, heat recovery, recirculating aquaculture capacity, effluent treatment, etc.

PHASE 1- COMPLETED

The tribe completed Phase 1 of the project, which included the selection of an ideal building site on the shores of Agate Pass, site enhancements and drafting preliminary plans for the 20,000 square-foot facility.

Site Prep (including MBR Installation*) $1,784,000
Site selection & pre-design $373,500
TOTAL INVESTED $2,157,500
*Installing a Membrane Bio Reactor was necessary in order to build the hatchery at the selected location.

PHASE 2

The two-story structure will house a hatchery on the lower floor and office space on the upper floor. The lower floor will house three hatchery modules (each 2,000 square feet) to support spawning, larval culture, and juvenile care of multiple species. The culture of live microalgae as shellfish food will be carried out in a room comprised of highly space-efficient systems and advanced photobioreactors. There will be two dedicated research spaces, a laboratory space, and a teaching lab.

The upper floor will provide space for offices, multipurpose meeting rooms, and a traditional food kitchen lab.

COST ESTIMATES
Building construction $27,950,615
Consultants (design & construction) $3,065,750
Furniture, fixtures, equipment $2,517,270
Project contingency (5%) $1,705,357
Permitting & regulatory costs $400,000

TOTAL NEEDED** $35,638,992

**Estimates are based on a 2024 cost analysis

LOCATION

The Shellfish Hatchery will be located along the Salish Sea on the Port Madison Reservation. It will be situated on the same property as Suquamish Seafood Enterprises, and the location is less than a five-minute drive from Chief Kitsap Academy. This ideal setting will provide on-going opportunities for collaboration and learning.

The Port Madison Reservation is located across the water from Seattle, Washington — a city with deep Suquamish ties. In fact, the city was named after the Suquamish Tribe’s Chief Seattle, who is buried a few miles from the hatchery.

About the Facility – Printable

Location – Printable

Shellfish & the Tribe

The Suquamish Tribe has inhabited Washington’s Central Salish Sea since time immemorial. The abundance of natural resources and efficient technology for harvesting and preserving food enabled us to develop a rich cultural and spiritual life. Today, we continue to live in the place of our ancestors and practice our traditional life ways on the Port Madison Reservation, located across the water from the Seattle-metropolitan area.

Shellfish were, and remain, a staple of our diet. Clam harvesting is a traditional activity that Suquamish tribal members have engaged in for thousands of years. Continuing this tradition in the modern day is a way for us to connect with the culture inherited from our ancestors. With profound respect for this cultural heritage, we are committed to maintaining the health and productivity of these resources, ensuring their availability for future generations.

To this day, we eat more shellfish per capita than anyone else in the region. Shellfish are an integral part of our identity, and clam digs and bakes are highlights of the year.

Said one tribal member, “Other children celebrate their birthdays at Chuck E. Cheese’s. Our children celebrate their birthdays with clam bakes on the beach.”

Shellfish & the Suquamish Tribe – Printable

Check out these videos and podcast to learn more about the important connection between the Suquamish Tribe and shellfish.

Come Forth Laughing Video Eater Video Gastropod Podcast - A Tale to Warm the Cockles of Your Heart

FAQs

Q1: How would the Suquamish Shellfish Hatchery (SSH) benefit the tribe?

SHORT ANSWER

A1: The SSH will benefit the tribe by ensuring a steady supply of shellfish for harvest, supporting habitat restoration and education, advancing marine research, and fostering food sovereignty through shellfish production and an Indigenous Food Lab.

LONG ANSWER:

A1: The multi-faceted hatchery will benefit the tribe in multiple ways such as (1) by providing a reliable and abundant supply of shellfish seed (e.g. manila clams, pacific oysters and geoduck) in support of commercial and C&S harvest opportunities for Suquamish tribal members, (2) providing space for the tribe to directly engage in habitat and restoration activities via restorative aquaculture (e.g. basket cockles, sea cucumbers, geoduck, kelp), (3) providing space for educational opportunities for tribal members interested in STEM fields, (4) providing a unique space equipped with state-of-the-art research equipment where the tribe can carry out marine research important to the Suquamish community, (5) create a new Indigenous Food Lab to explore traditional and contemporary food preservation methods.

Q2: Why should we produce more shellfish seed?

SHORT ANSWER:

A2: Producing our own shellfish seed would reduce dependence on outside hatcheries and increase seeding density and beach coverage allowing Suquamish diggers to harvest more clams and meet high market demand.

LONG ANSWER:

A2: Shellfish seed supply is currently a limiting resource and dependent on other local hatcheries (e.g. Taylor Shellfish) who prioritize their own farming operations. Seed availability and costs vary from year to year. Suquamish Fisheries purchase on average $200K worth of shellfish seed each year to manage and seed 320 beaches. Seeds are spread at the lowest density recommended on a small number of beaches because of limited supply. With additional supply, we could seed more beaches at a higher density, allowing diggers to harvest more clams with the same effort. There is high demand for clams, particularly from our beaches, as buyers prefer them because of their taste and resiliency.

Suquamish Seafoods purchases pacific oyster and geoduck seeds for farming operations at an annual cost of around $170K. Geoduck seeds are very expensive, ranging from $0.25 – $0.75 a piece each year. It takes approximately 160,000 baby geoducks to plant 1 acre of tideland, amounting to an average of $120,000 in seed costs alone. These costs could potentially go up if demand increases due to seeding wild geoduck tracts.

Q3: Why should the tribe engage with restorative aquaculture?

SHORT ANSWER:

A3: Engaging in restorative aquaculture will help the Suquamish Tribe combat pollution, habitat loss, and climate impacts, while restoring declining native species and ensuring access to safe, sustainable shellfish for future generations.

LONG ANSWER:

A3: The Port Madison Reservation is in one of the largest urbanized estuaries in North America. Urbanization and shoreline development limit access to our ancestral tidelands, pollution and runoff make our clams unsafe to eat on many beaches, and marine heatwaves and ocean acidification are hurting our shellfish. Many of our native species are in decline, creating an opportunity for invasive species to take root. This is already true for several species including cockles – for which harvest has been closed on our local beaches since 2014. This is also true for sea cucumbers – for which harvest has been closed in all Central Puget Sound since 2014. In addition, wild geoduck populations that are harvested by Suquamish and other groups around Puget Sound are not recovering as fast as predicted and restorative aquaculture may be needed to boost these populations to harvestable levels. Many changes are coming to our marine environment that will have unpredictable consequences on our marine resources. This hatchery will provide the Suquamish Tribe a powerful tool to respond to these changes and ensure access to safe and abundant shellfish for future generations.

Q4: If climate change and ocean acidification negatively impact shellfish, how will shellfish produced in a hatchery be more resilient?

SHORT ANSWER:

A4: The hatchery can control water conditions and use methods like selective breeding and environmental priming to develop shellfish that are more resilient to climate change and ocean acidification.

LONG ANSWER:

A4: Water quality in the hatchery can be controlled to create optimal conditions for small shells to develop. The SSH will be well-positioned to explore emerging strategies and technologies to produce resilient shellfish seed. These strategies include controlled breeding where climate-resilient strains are developed and also, environmental priming where a controlled stress is applied to early developing larvae or juveniles to enhance resiliency to that stress later in life. Both strategies are showing promise and are particularly applicable for commercial aquaculture practices.

Q5: What makes the new SSH different from others?

SHORT ANSWER:

A5: The SSH will feature modern, energy-efficient systems and flexible infrastructure to produce both commercial and native species, while also supporting education and research, setting it apart from older, single-purpose hatcheries.

LONG ANSWER:

A5: Washington State has an extensive history of shellfish farming and produces more shellfish than any other state in the USA. Several existing shellfish hatcheries have been operating for decades, providing seed for the shellfish industry, locally and abroad. These hatcheries have been around and built-up over an extensive period of time, often utilizing older technologies that limit their efficiency. In addition, existing hatcheries produce commercial shellfish seed only. The SSH will be unique in its modern contemporary infrastructure, utilizing state-of-the-art systems for seawater processing and energy efficiency to operate at costs lower than typical and reduce the environmental footprint. It is purposefully designed with flexibility to produce multiple species with special attention for both commercial species that require warmer water and native species which prefer cooler water. This unique flexibility gives the tribe capacity and space to produce commercial shellfish and native shellfish species important to the tribe’s subsistence and culture. It is also designed with education and research in mind, providing wet lab space available for Suquamish students (e.g. CKA) and laboratory space for conducting shellfish research important to the tribe.

Q6: How will research capacity benefit the tribe?

SHORT ANSWER:

A6: The hatchery’s built-in research space will enable the tribe to secure research grants form partnerships with scientific institutions and create training opportunities for tribal members in shellfish research and STEM fields.

LONG ANSWER:

A6: Shellfish hatcheries make for ideal locations for conducting important research because they have access to clean filtered seawater and microalgae culture. However, research capacity is rarely considered in facility designs. The SSH hatchery was designed to accommodate shellfish research alongside production. With this capacity, the tribe will be well-positioned to apply competitive research grants from federal, state, and non-profit organizations which could bring significant funding to help operate the facility. This capacity will also allow for beneficial partnerships with scientists from academic, government, and non-profit organizations and provide unique training opportunities for tribal members interested in shellfish research and STEM fields.

Q7: Why can’t our hatchery be the size of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) hatchery in Manchester since it works for them?

SHORT ANSWER:

A7: The SSH is designed to produce far more shellfish species and quantities than the PSRF hatchery. Each species requires specialized systems and dedicated space for production, research, and education.

LONG ANSWER:

A7: PSRF operates a conservation hatchery to produce native Olympia oyster and pinto abalone seed restoration purposes. Their facility is specifically designed to produce 2 million Olympia oyster seed and approximately 15,000 pinto abalone seed each year. The SSH is designed to produce 20 million manila clam seed, 5 million pacific oyster seed and 500 thousand geoduck seed on average annually. All shellfish species require unique rearing systems and varying resources, and this was taken into account in the design process of the SSH. The facility will house 3 hatchery modules (~2,000 ft2 each), microalgae culture space (~4,000 ft2), 2 research modules (~700 ft2 each) and additional space for a laboratory, a teaching wet lab, storage, offices, meeting spaces and bathrooms. Considerable thought has gone into the sizing of these spaces to ensure we get what we need out of them.

Q8: Will the SSH produce cockles and other species not typically produced in shellfish hatcheries?

SHORT ANSWER:

A8: Yes. The SSH is designed with flexibility to produce a variety of species, including cockles, sea cucumbers, and potentially other native shellfish as future priorities arise.

LONG ANSWER:

A8: Yes. The SSH has been designed to accommodate multiple species with flexibility in mind. Suquamish, along with Puget Sound Restoration Fund partner, recently developed protocols for producing basket cockles and California sea cucumbers in hatchery settings. The SSH will have the space and capacity to develop additional hatchery protocols for other species such as butterclams, Native littleneck clams and others as future priorities dictate.

Q9: How will the hatchery contribute to climate change and ocean acidification (OA) research?

SHORT ANSWER:

A9: The hatchery will enable the tribe to lead and collaborate on climate change and ocean acidification research, securing grants and studying how changing conditions affect key shellfish species.

LONG ANSWER:

A9: Much of climate change and OA research is conducted in laboratory due to the need to control variables. The SSH will provide space for the tribe to collaborate with academia or other agencies on research topics important to the tribe. In addition, having the space and capacity to conduct research will give the tribe an edge when applying for research grants. Having this capacity allows for tribally led projects that focus on questions important to the Suquamish Tribe. Potential research could address how extreme heat events impact cockles, how ocean acidification impacts butter and littleneck clams, or how to produce shellfish seed resilient to conditions associated with climate change.

Q10: Will there be education and work opportunities for tribal members?

SHORT ANSWER:

A10: Yes. The hatchery will prioritize hiring tribal members, offer internships, and create educational pathways in marine science through partnerships with local schools and a dedicated teaching lab.

LONG ANSWER:

A10: Yes. We will prioritize hiring tribal members and encourage anyone interested in a career in shellfish aquaculture to complete a technical course at Bellingham Technical College or a bachelor’s degree in marine biology / aquaculture. Shellfish hatcheries require specialized skill sets and while some positions will allow for on-the-job training, other positions will benefit from experienced hatchery practitioners. The hatchery will create internship opportunities and marine science career pathways by continuing to collaborate with Chief Kitsap Academy and other local schools. A teaching science lab space will also be incorporated in the SSH for students. Over time, an educational pathway will develop exposing tribal youth to marine science opportunities.

Q11: Why is the estimated cost for the SSH so high?

SHORT ANSWER:

A11: The high cost is due to the need for durable, specialized infrastructure and equipment to handle seawater, as well as the construction of a large two-story facility with advanced aquaculture systems and office space.

LONG ANSWER:

A11: Shellfish hatcheries require highly specialized infrastructure to process high volumes of seawater to support healthy shellfish seed production. In addition, the corrosive nature of seawater necessitates extra precaution in choosing high-level infrastructure and equipment that will endure such conditions. The cost covers design and construction of a 2-story, 20,000 ft2 footprint building with highly specialized aquaculture systems and equipment. The life support system and aquaculture equipment alone are estimated at nearly $5M. The second floor will provide the office and meeting space needed for the Suquamish tribal government.

Q12: I’m a Suquamish tribal member but I don’t fish or dig clams, how will the SSH benefit me?

A12: Shellfish are ecosystems engineers and improve the marine environment and water quality for everyone. Shellfish are also central to our diet and culture and benefit the whole community during ceremonies such as Powwows, Canoe Journeys, Funerals, and other events.

Q13: Will we be able to harvest more clams once the SSH is established?

SHORT ANSWER:

A13: The hatchery will greatly increase clam seed production, boosting harvest opportunities and income for Suquamish tribal diggers.

LONG ANSWER:

A13: The hatchery will increase Manila clam quotas substantially and therefore opportunities to harvest. In 2024, total clam harvest value to tribal members and families was $920,000. This was achieved by seeding some beaches with a total of 3 to 5 million clam seeds per year. With our own hatchery, we will be able to easily quadruple seeding output. This will allow us to seed beaches at higher densities and seed additional beaches. We anticipate hatchery operations to at least double the total landing value of this fishery within 5 to 10 years of establishing the hatchery.

Q14: Will we be able to harvest more oysters once the SSH is established?

A14: Yes. Currently, Pacific oyster larvae do not set naturally on beaches in the Suquamish exclusive Usual and Accustomed Areas of fishing (U&A). The only way to provide oyster harvest for commercial, ceremonial, and subsistence (C&S) is to seed beaches, and the hatchery will allow this to happen.

Q15: Why produce geoduck seed?

A15: Geoduck seed is in high demand in the aquaculture industry and is the most expensive seed on the market. Also, a 2024 Washington Task Force report identified enhancing wild geoduck tracts a priority to assist wild population recovery efforts, which will increase the overall demand for geoduck seed.

Q16: I have heard that the SSH will include additional office space. Why is this needed?

A16: The Suquamish Tribal Government’s 400+ employees are running out of existing office and meeting space. To accommodate additional programs and services, creating office space in this new construction will further the Tribal Government’s mission. Additionally, the Suquamish Tribal Government’s Self-Governance Compact with the US Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs allows for a special contract that repays the tribe for facility costs (called 105(l) leasing).

Q17: What are the expected operating costs of the hatchery?

SHORT ANSWER:

A17: Operating costs will cover staff salaries, utilities for seawater management, and maintenance, with energy-efficient systems helping reduce expenses. The bulk of operating costs will be salaries for six full-time employees.

LONG ANSWER:

A17: The expected costs associated with operating the SSH are personnel, utilities, equipment maintenance, and general materials and supplies. Personnel salaries are expected to be largest expense by category and the SSH is expected to have 6 full-time staff. We expect 3-4 of these positions to be senior-level staff and 2-3 of these positions to be entry-level staff. Utility costs, in particular energy consumption for heating cooling seawater are expected to be the next largest expense. However, we are taking every effort possible to keep this cost low by utilizing energy-efficient infrastructure (e.g. heat pumps, heat recovery, solar panels, etc.). Remaining costs associated with maintaining equipment and supplies are not expected to be a large proportion of the annual budget.

Q18: Will the hatchery make money?

SHORT ANSWER:

A18: The hatchery will generate revenue through seed sales, lab leases, workshops, and research grants, potentially earning over $1.5 million annually though profits are not guaranteed and not the ultimate hatchery goal.

LONG ANSWER:

A18: The SSH will have built-in revenue streams to assist with operating costs of the facility. Depending on the year, it is possible for income to exceed costs though this should not be expected. The most significant source of revenue will be through internal and external seed sales. Market rates for seed vary annually depending on supply and demand. Recent market rates for Manila clam and Pacific oyster mid-size seed are $15 and $45 per 1000 respectively which could generate $525,000 if production goals of 20 million clam seed and 5 million oyster seed are met. Market rates for geoduck seed are much higher with the smallest size class (5-8 mm shell length) averaging $0.50 per seed which could generate $250,000. The actual capacity of the facility will accommodate more than the targeted production goals with potential revenue in seed sales in excess of $1,500,000. Additional revenue could be obtained through leasing research and wet lab space to third party operations, hosting educational workshops, and competitive research grants.