Extirpation and Tribal Reintroduction of Coho Salmon to the Interior Columbia River Basin

Abstract

FEATURE Extirpación y reintroducción de salmón plateado por tribus autóctonas en la cuenca del Río Columbia RESuMEN: la captura de salmónidos anádromos en la cuenca del Río Columbia ha sido fundamental para la nutrición, economía, cultura y creencias religiosas de las tribus nativas de Norte América. El desarrollo de la agricultura, la construcción de presas, urbanización y sobre pesca que siguieron a la llegada de los colonizadores europeos, dieron como resultado reducciones dramáticas de las corridas de salmón y causaron un impacto negativo en el bienestar de la gente tribal. Las agencias pesqueras federales y estatales trataron de mitigar estas pérdidas y de reconstruir algunas poblaciones de salmónidos, sin embargo clasificaron al salmón plateado como de menor importancia para las pesquerías, permitiendo así que llegara a la extinción funcional. A mediados de la década de 1990, tanto las agencias pesqueras como las tribus oriundas del Río Columbia encabezaron esfuerzos para restablecer el extirpado salmón plateado, comenzando con los ríos Yakima, Wenatchee, Methow y Clearwater. Los programas se iniciaron utilizando individuos juveniles de los stocks cultivados en la parte baja del Río Columbia, mismos que se aclimataban o se liberaban directamente cerca de hábitats potenciales para el desove. Posteriormente, en una etapa transitoria, se produjeron juveniles a partir de reproductores recolectados en las cuencas. En la actualidad, cada vez más peces están regresando a estos ríos, una parte de los cuales es el producto de desoves naturales. Los resultados sugieren que el salmón plateado se está adaptando a sus nuevos ambientes y está creando poblaciones locales naturales. ABSTRACT: Harvest of anadromous salmonids in the Columbia River basin has been fundamental to the nutrition, economy, and cultural and religious beliefs of the regional Native American tribes. Agricultural development, dam construction, urbanization, and overharvest following colonization byEuropean-origin settlers, however, resulted in dramatic reductions in salmon runs and negative impacts to the well-being of tribal peoples. Federal and state fishery agencies attempted to mitigate for the loss and to rebuild some salmonid populations but deemed Coho Salmon of lesser importance for upriver fisheries and allowed them to go functionally extinct. In the mid1990s, fishery agencies of the Columbia River Treaty tribes spearheaded efforts to reestablish the extirpated Coho Salmon, beginning in the Yakima, Wenatchee, Methow, and Clearwater rivers. The programs were initiated with juveniles from composite lower Columbia River hatchery stocks, acclimated or direct released near potential spawning habitat, then were transitioned to producing juveniles with broodstock collected in-basin. Increasing numbers of fish are now returning to these rivers, a portion of which is the product of natural spawning. Results suggest that the Coho Salmon are adapting to their new environments and founding local naturalized populations.

Culturally significant fisheries: keystones for management of freshwater social-ecological systems

“…Such declines have greatly affected the subsistence economies of Indigenous people, who have lost access to freshwater fisheries and the ability to sustain cultural fishing practices and knowledge (Haggen et al 2006, Dick et al 2012). In response, many Indigenous people are driving the improved management, restoration, and conservation of freshwater species in North America, New Zealand, and Australia (e.g., Fraser et al 2006, Woodward et al 2012, Galbreath et al 2014. Indigenous people have been working with other agencies to develop approaches that involve cooperative, community-based, and collaborative comanagement strategies (Tipa and Welch 2006, NIWA 2010a, Hill et al 2012.…”

“…Historically used by settlers for salmonid fishmeal and livestock feed (Close et al 2002, CRITFC 2011 (Landeen and Pinkham 1999, Haggen et al 2006, Johnsen 2009, Cozzetto et al 2013, Dittmer 2013, CRITFC 2014, Galbreath et al 2014). …”

Coho Salmon Colonization of Oregon's Upper Willamette River Basin

“…; Galbreath et al. ). More recently, the re‐introduction of Coho Salmon in tributaries to the Elwha River (Washington) after dam removal is an example of how rapidly the species can potentially become re‐established.…”

“…A prominent Coho Salmon example began in the 1990s, when tribal organizations initiated a sustained re‐introduction program in four interior Columbia River basin tributaries (Yakima, Wenatchee, Methow, and Clearwater rivers; Galbreath et al. ). Coho Salmon were functionally extinct in these historically occupied rivers despite a variety of hatchery programs (Nehlsen et al.…”

“…Historically, many hatchery programs used broodstock from non-local populations, with well-documented adverse effects on native fishes, including conspecifics (Myers et al 2004;Araki et al 2008;Kostow 2009). Widespread releases of hatchery fish into previously unoccupied habitat have been common, either because access to the species' historic habitat was blocked or to take advantage of what was considered unexploited production opportunity (Naish et al 2008;Galbreath et al 2014).…”