The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday rescinded a 45-year-old agreement between the state of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the last remaining step to remove the restriction on the Siletz Tribe’s hunting and fishing rights.
The action was in keeping with U.S. Congress and a federal court’s vacating of the Siletz Tribe Consent Decree and complies with a law passed by Congress in 2023.
The original 1980 agreement was enforced by a federal consent decree and gave the Siletz Tribe and its members very few hunting, fishing, trapping, or gathering rights in exchange for the creation of the Siletz Reservation. Two years ago, the tribe and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife entered a voluntary agreement, giving the tribe the power to manage their own hunting and fishing rules — but the 1980 agreement was still technically on the books.
The commission’s vote also advances cooperative fish and wildlife management efforts by recognizing a voluntary 2023 agreement between the state and tribe as the prevailing framework guiding the relationship between the Siletz Tribe and ODFW.
“Federally recognized tribal nations have a sovereign right to hunt, fish, and gather on their ancestral lands,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in statement. “No tribe should have to choose between their land or their sovereign rights. I applaud the Fish and Wildlife Commission for repealing the 1980 decree that forced the Siletz to lose those rights in exchange for getting their status and land restored.”
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