Wednesday May 14, 2025
PEW Charitable Trusts —
“My ancestors were scientists before the word ‘scientist’ came into their lives.”
Those are the words of Jaytuk Steinruck in a recent video highlighting the work of the Tribal Marine Stewards Network (TMSN), a growing alliance of California Tribal Nations applying Indigenous knowledge and Tribal science, to manage fisheries and coastal habitats in the face of rising ocean temperatures and sea levels, coastal erosion, extreme storms, and drought.
“The network is not only going to provide people with jobs, but it’s also going to bring Indigenous, Native people to the forefront and support the Tribes of this state and this country to continue to look after the resources that are so important to all of us,” said Steinruck, who is a member of TMSN’s Leadership Council and the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Tribal Council.
TMSN, formed in 2022, focuses on four themes: environmental stewardship, economic and community prosperity, cultural vitality, and Tribal capacity building. TMSN members lead more than three dozen initiatives, including:
- Restoration and monitoring activities for important species such as salmon, surf smelt, and abalone and for habitats including coastal wetlands, beaches and dunes, rocky intertidal areas, and kelp forests.
- Frequent monitoring for toxic algae blooms in the ocean and biotoxins such as domoic acid and paralytic shellfish poison, which pose serious public health threats.
- Surveying of culturally important sites along the coast.
- Organization of community outreach and educational events for youth and adults.