(Dramatic music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS Nine Newsroom.

After clashes over Skagit River dams and fish passages, the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe is bringing a lawsuit against Seattle.

For over a century, salmon populations have been declining in the Skagit River, and the tribe says three hydroelectric dams are responsible.

Last year, the tribe sued the city twice over the dams but this did not lead to any increased protections for salmon.

In January, the tribe filed a third lawsuit with a new strategy.

In Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Court, Seattle was sued on behalf of salmon, alleging that the city's hydroelectric dams violate the salmon's rights.

The case relies on a concept known as Rights of Nature.

Indigenous law experts say the case is an important test of what could become a powerful tool for tribes to defend their sovereignty and non-human relatives.

I'm Starla Sampaco, by non-profit Northwest News every day on Crosscut.com.

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