PORT GAMBLE — Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) revoked its previous hydraulic project approval permit for building a dock in Port Gamble.

The dock — proposed by town owners Olympic Property Group — is an ongoing source of controversy between the company and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, which sought the WDFW appeal.

Port Gamble Bay provides imperative harvesting grounds for fish and shellfish to the tribe, said Tribal Chairman Ron Charles in previous Herald articles.

According to a press release, WDFW managers revoked the permit after determining OPG intended to allow moorage at the dock, creating a marina.

To prevent negative impacts on fish habitat, construction of marinas over herring spawning beds are prohibited by the Washington Administrative Code.

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe provided sufficient evidence to prove the area is a herring spawning bed.

In the decision, WDFW recognized Port Gamble Bay as the central herring spawning site for Port Gamble’s herring stock — the second largest herring stock in Washington.