The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe of Washington has been forced to stop fishing and will delay a geoduck-clam harvest due to an oil spill.

The spill occurred near the Hood Canal Bridge on Port Gamble Bay. The reservation is located across the bay, prompting concern from tribal officials about the effects on its treaty rights.

The Port Gamble spill is considered suspicious. A 92-foot, 56-ton boat may have been purposely sunk, taking down another boat with it.

This is the second time in the last two years that a Washington tribe has been hit by an oil spill. Nearly 4,800 gallons of oil spilled onto the Suquamish Reservation in late December 2003.

Get the Story:
Sunken tug spills fuel in Hood Canal (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10/18)
Sunken tugboat's diesel fuel leaves sheen on Hood Canal (The Seattle Times 10/18)
Oil spills from sunken tug in Hood Canal (AP 10/18)

Relevant Links:
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe - http://www.pgst.nsn.us