Federal courts soon affirmed that the tribes had the right to make “a moderate living” from fishing the waters their ancestors fished before colonization and to co-manage fishing resources with the state.

Implicit in the treaties, courts would later rule, was a guarantee that there would be enough fish for the tribes to harvest. Destroying the habitat reduces the population and thus violates the treaties, courts have ruled.

The case decided on Monday was brought by the federal government in 2001, joined by the tribes. They argued that Washington State had harmed salmon habitats by building culverts — below-road channels and structures — in a way that prevented salmon from swimming through and reaching their spawning grounds. Federal courts ordered Washington to fix most of the culverts by 2030, an effort that a state spokesman said on Monday would cost about $2.4 billion.

Washington State, which was supported by groups representing real estate, home building, agricultural and other commercial interests, argued that the rulings infringed on states’ rights to decide how to use their land.

“State and local government and private property owners would lose a great deal of control over land-use decisions, over water and other key factors that could conceptually affect the number of fish,” Robert McKenna, a former state attorney general, said in a phone interview.

The issue may yet return to a courtroom in the future. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy recused himself, because the issue had come before him when he was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, more than 30 years ago. With a 4-to-4 tie, the Supreme Court did not write an opinion on the underlying merits of the case. But the outcome should serve as a warning for governments that have for generations abused the resources that Native Americans rely on, Mr. Cladoosby said.

“If land-use policies in the State of Washington have been negatively impacting salmon and being a cause of their decline, most definitely they should feel they need to sit down and work with tribes,” he said on Monday.