Seventeen tribes will sign a $33 million shellfish settlement with the state and federal government today.
The deal ends the so-called "shellfish wars." A federal court said tribes have the right to half of the shellfish growing naturally on private property.
The $22 million from the federal government and $11 million from the state will make up for the shellfish the tribes would have been able to harvest under an 1855 treaty. Tribes can use the money to buy and lease tidelands to harvest shellfish.
Get the Story:Shellfish Settlement Fails to Resolve All Disputes (The Kitsap Sun 7/6)
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Shellfish settlement ends years of rancor (The Seattle Times 7/6) Related Stories:
Column: Everyone benefits from tribal shellfish deal (5/30)
Washington tribes finalize $33M shellfish deal (5/16)
