Enhanced fit through institutional interplay in the Pacific Northwest Salmon co-management regime

This article examines the dynamic institutional landscape of Pacific salmon management and allocation in Washington State, focusing on tribal efforts to enhance fit through institutional interplay. Affirming rights reserved by Northwest Indian tribes in treaties signed in the 1850s, the courts established a framework for the co-management of salmon by state and tribal governments. Within this structure, tribal efforts have significantly enhanced the fit between management institutions and natural systems. This has occurred through institutional changes in the production of knowledge for management, linking local, regional and international allocation processes, altering the mandates of existing institutions and creating new ones with more salmon-centric agendas.