Harvest Management staff conduct shellfish stock assessments to determine trends in the relative abundance of harvested populations over time.

Knowing whether a population is trending upward, downward, and responding to fishing effort or other events, helps the LNR Harvest Manager make informed decisions that support the long-term sustainability of resources, while also maximizing opportunities for tribal fishermen that depend on those resources.

Manila Clams

Assessments of shellfish stocks are mostly restricted to Manila clam surveys on Lummi Reservation beaches. The annual Manila clam surveys allow us to set sustainable harvest targets that also maximize harvest opportunity. Annual Manila clam surveys have been conducted most years since 2002.

Dive Surveys

In 2013, Harvest Management staff also began conducting subtidal surveys of sea cucumber and geoduck clam stocks.

Other Intertidal Species

Additionally, a pre-disaster inventory of the reservation tidelands for all intertidal species was also conducted in 2009. See the Lummi Intertidal Baseline Inventory for more details).

Finfish

Note that finfish population surveys are primarily conducted by the Stock Assessment Division. However, Harvest Management staff are involved in sampling finfish that are caught in Lummi fisheries.