Meaningful Movies Bellevue: Fish War

Meaningful Movies Bellevue and Meaningful Movies Kirkland invite you to a screening of the 2024 documentary film, Fish War, produced by Northwest Treaty Tribes Media and North Forty Productions. Using archival footage for much of the film, the filmmakers highlight a series of civil disobedience protests (fish-ins) by tribes in the Pacific Northwest during the 1960s and 1970s. Tribal members faced violent struggles as they exercised their treaty-protected right to fish on their ancestral lands.

In 1974, Judge George Boldt upheld indigenous fishing rights and changed the way the state and tribes co-manage fishing while also practicing environmental stewardship. Ultimately affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Boldt’s decision should have put an end to the Fish War.

Fifty years later, however, tribal treaty rights continue to be threatened by adversaries, including habitat destruction and climate change, which threaten to destroy salmon runs forever.

Fish War is especially pertinent to UUs as we strive to create a better world through sustainable environmental practices and also through recognizing the inherent dignity in every human being. Please plan to attend this informative documentary and to stay for an informative discussion immediately following the film.