The Metlakatla Indian Community received over $16 million from the federal government to increase salmon hatchery production. The money will be used for infrastructure improvements to the Tamgas Creek Hatchery, which the tribe owns and operates.
Metlakatla Mayor Albert Smith said the tribe had to apply for the money, and that whole process took a lot of work over the course of several years.
“It was paused for a little while with the new administration, but we worked through all that, and we’re very excited to be getting the funding,” he said.
The money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, a climate change mitigation law that passed in 2022. Funds were distributed to federally recognized tribal hatcheries across the Pacific Northwest. Smith said he’s had multiple consultations with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the entity responsible for fairly distributing the funds among tribes.
“It came out probably the best way that it possibly could,” Smith said. “But it was competitive, and I was pleased to see the amount we got.”
The money will be used to build new water lines coming from the lake and throughout the hatchery. The tribe also plans on modernizing the fish ladder and egg-taking equipment.
“In short, it’ll be basically a brand new hatchery when we’re done.”
Smith said the project is shovel ready and the design work is done. He hopes to begin construction next year.
Efforts to increase production at the hatchery have been in the works for years and included a new incubation building in 2016 that can house up to 160 million salmon eggs. Right now is the middle of the egg intake season for the chum salmon, and Smith said the return to the hatchery is, so far, encouraging.
