The chairman of the Samish Nation of Washington welcomed Thursday's court ruling that allows the tribe to seek a share of the state's salmon catch.

Ken Hansen criticized other tribes for opposing his tribe's fishing rights bid. Nine other tribes said the Samish should be excluded from the historic Boldt ruling that divided the catch between Indians and non-Indians.

The Samish were unrecognized at the time of the 1974 ruling but regained status in 1996. In a 2-1 decision yesterday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said restoration was an "extraordinary circumstance" that warranted reopening of the case.

Get the Story:
U.S. appeals panel rules Samish can argue in court for fishing rights (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1/7)
Appeals court says Samish Indians should have fishing rights (AP 1/7)
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Get the Decision:
Samish v. Washington (January 6, 2005)

Lower Court Decision:
Order Denying the Samish Tribe's Motion to Reopen Judgment (December 19, 2002)

Relevant Links:
Samish Indian Nation - http://www.samishtribe.nsn.us

Related Stories:
Jilted Washington tribe wins court ruling (1/7)
Samish Nation regains trust land after a century (09/16)
Landmark Boldt fishing rights decision turns 30 (2/10)
Judge won't restore tribe's treaty rights (12/20)
Samish: Other tribes 'without honor' (12/20)
Wash. tribe in court to reclaim treaty rights (12/06)
Jilted tribe sues for compensation (10/16)
Samish Tribe trying to regain treaty rights (12/11)