and the home of our primary fishery, on Lummi Island. We feel it’s important to connect a sense of place with the food we eat. The wild in our name because our values do not support farmed salmon, only wild.

To be clear, Lummi Island Wild is not part of the Lummi Nation. We work with many Lummi fishers, and are licensed by the tribes that we work with, including Lummi, Upper Skagit, and other Northwest treaty Tribes.

Although reefnetting is an ancient Salish and Lummi tribal fishery, there are currently 11 state reefnet licences and 1 tribal reefnet in this micro fishery. The tribal gear launched only a few years ago, until this gear launched, there had not been an active tribal reefnet in 40 or 50 years. Lummi Island Wild was honored when we were asked to help set the anchors and when the Kinley family elected to fish in common and cooperatively with the rest of the small fleet.

It is the only commercial solar powered fishery – which is very cool, but only one tiny part of the reason it is so sustainable.

We are not fish brokers and have no interest in that commodity driven approach. Our passion is for the highest quality and sustainability – primarily reefnetting. We take that passion and work with our tribal partners to access wild salmon and many other prized species not caught on the reefnet gear: Halibut, dungeness crab, and spot prawns – to name a few. Our focus on best handling practices and fresh processing helps us to raise the standard for every fishery we participate in.  

Lummi Island Wild Co-op got its start – now 20 years ago, because we had a vision of keeping reefnet caught fish out of the commodity trading pool and out of the hands of global conglomerates. They are special. The fishery is special. We wanted to build value for an ultra sustainable fishery, focused on quality, not quantity. And promote the respectful and responsible harvesting of wild salmon and to protect the environment for future generations of fish and people.

strong and if it plays out as predicted, the vast majority will be reefnet caught. That said, on a slow year, it may be less than 50%. When we are not on the reefnets, we take our passion for quality and sustainability, and work on the water with other micro fisheries. These all have amazing stories in their own right and we are proud to be a part of them. 

We have our hand in the water – either catching your fish, or operating our tender boat and trucks to supply bait or ice. Then speeding the catch to be processed fresh. 

The natural cycle of the Fraser River includes good years and bad years. Sometimes the fish come by Lummi Island, and sometimes they don’t. 

Just to clarify a bit more, some species are never caught on the reefnet gear: Halibut, dungeness crab, scallops, spot prawns, etc. We are proud of our connection to the water and understanding every detail of all these fisheries.

First their naturally high fat content including omega 3’s (We have measured this in lab analysis to be up to double that of other fisheries). The second thing is how we handle the catch: One by one with respect. Not only is this ethical, but it translates to great flavor because our fish don’t die struggling building up adrenaline or bitter lactic acid.

Our commitment is always to offer the highest quality (as measured by fat content and handling practices) as well as ensure everything we do is truly sustainable