BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Lummi Nation are joining the Yakama Tribe in calling for the removal of three major hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River.

Lummi Chairman Jay Julius was among the speakers at a news conference at the Dalles Monday, calling for the removal of that and the Bonneville and John Jay Dams.

They say the government violated the Treaty of 1855 when it built the dams, destroying important native fishing sites and deeply impacting the migration of salmon.

The Yakama traditionally fished for salmon along the river and the treaty guaranteed the tribe access to those sites even after the tribes ceded 11.5 million acres to the U.S.

Salmon are also the preferred prey of endangered orcas, which are sacred to the Lummi Nation.