“Sockeye Salmon” by Sarah Barnes of Nez Perce Fisheries

For the past 7ish years Sarah has conducted fisheries research in a variety of ecosystems from small Midwest streams to the open ocean and many places in between. She recently completed my master’s in aquatic ecology from Utah State University and began working for the Nez Perce Tribe in March of this year. Her position focuses on research pertinent to Sockeye reintroduction and  the Wallowa Lake ecosystem in general.

Wallowa Lake once supported one of only two spawning Sockeye Salmon populations in the state of Oregon. Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, known to the Nimiipúu as “Q’óyxc” are extremely important to the spiritual, cultural and physical health of the Nimiipúu. The Tribe’s Department of Fisheries Resources Management (DFRM) has been involved with reintroduction efforts since the 1990s. Finally, with the addition of fish passage to the Wallowa Lake Dam on the horizon, a full reintroduction is becoming a possibility.