The White Salmon River sub-basin is part of the area ceded by the Yakama Nation (YN) to the US Government by treaty in 1855, and contains usual and accustomed hunting, fishing and gathering grounds.YN has taken the position with WA Department of Ecology (October 11, 2012) that “As fishery co-manager, the YN naturally is anxious to see conditions in the mainstem and spawning tributaries conductive to supporting not only existing aquatic life and fish and wildlife populations, but also those expected to soon return. The YN has an unqualified Treaty fishing right and a Treaty water right in all streams flowing through its Ceded Area (which includes the White Salmon sub-basin) for flows adequate to support fish and other aquatic life; this is senior to all other water rights.”
See WIRA 29b and Instream Flow for additional discussions.