Two local American Indian tribes want to add an extra layer of protection for the Western sandpipers, snow geese, short-eared owls, Chinook salmon and other species that thrive in Port Susan Bay.

The Tulalip and Stillaguamish tribes want Snohomish and Island counties to designate the bay a Marine Stewardship Area. The designation won't carry any new regulations, but it will create a partnership between the counties and the tribes to protect the area.

"The idea is to get people together to figure out what strategies and actions are best going to protect this ecosystem," said Kit Rawson, a fisheries biologist for the Tulalip Tribes.

A stewardship designation, which would allow fishing and other activities, is different than a protection designation, which could result in the ban of boats and other uses, said Terry Williams, an environmental policymaker with the Tulalip Tribes.

The salmon that skitter into the bay from the mouth of the Stillaguamish River may be at risk from contaminants, but local tribes also want to protect their right to responsibly catch those fish, he said.

"We talked about making it a Marine Protected Area, but in that case you close up all the fishing and everything else," Williams said. "What we need is to protect the habitat, but we don't want to close down state or tribal fisheries."

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