Billy Frank Jr.’s father used to tell him, “When the tide is out, the table is set.”

Billy Frank Jr in 1999, 25 years after the Federal decision restoring native fishing rights.

Half a century ago, in Western Washington, a landmark ruling by a federal judge significantly enhanced both the economic and legal standing of Indigenous tribes within the state.

While major legal decisions are often not named after the judges presiding over them, this ruling is an exception. Known widely as "The Boldt Decision," it is one of the most significant legal rulings concerning Native rights in the twentieth century. The case centered on tribes' fishing rights, but the ruling's broader impact affirmed tribal sovereignty, marking a monumental and surprising triumph for Native American communities.

On February 12, 1974, U.S. District Judge George Hugo Boldt delivered a verdict stating that Native Americans were entitled to 50% of the salmon harvest in the state, honoring treaties made over a century earlier. This decision was a pivotal moment in the protracted Fish Wars, which had caused unrest in Washington for years.

The case, United States vs. Washington, is regarded by specialists as one of the most intricate and far-reaching legal battles in Native American legal history. It compelled the U.S. to fulfill its treaty obligations and established in U.S. law the principle that tribes possess sovereign status.

Even half a century later, the decision, which had huge implications for the state’s commercial fishing industry, is still contentious.

Read more about the landmark lawsuit reaffirming treaty fishing rights.