History: The “Trash Fish” of the Columbia 

What does environmental justice look like for the “lost fish” that do not make it over Bonneville Dam each year? It is common to track annual spring and summer chinook salmon passage over Bonneville, but it is rather uncommon to consider other anadromous fish species like the native Pacific lamprey that are challenged by the same structures. Roughly half of the annual summer run of Pacific lamprey can successfully navigate and pass Bonneville Dam without assistance from the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) and its translocation program. In the worldview of the inland Plateau peoples of the Columbia River Gorge, there are creation stories that link numerous anadromous fish species to the First Foods ceremony that is held each spring within tribal communities. The ceremony begins with spring chinook, but vocalizes and holds up recognition for all life found in “The Big River” (Nchi’ Wana; Sahaptin Language reference to the Columbia River), including the spirit of the river itself. The Pacific lamprey holds its own space in Indigenous legends, history, and the traditional food system of the 14 Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation. 

A good friend and colleague of mine, Adam Wicks-Arshack, is a master canoe carver. As an undergraduate environmental science major, I began to notice the term “trash fish” more and more. Like many, Adam was attracted to the vibrant nature of the Pacific lamprey upon first meeting and interaction. During his canoe journey from the ocean to the headwaters of the Columbia, he was greeted by my family at the Priest Rapids Dam. Brother Adam also tried dried freshwater eel for the first time during his paddle up the river. In the traditional manner, my brother Johnny Buck filled his canoe with helpful supplies, which included primarily traditionally dried foods. Adam is a very well-respected scholar and researcher in the context of the Pacific lamprey species and cultural connections. The idea for the title of this article and the initial research proposal stemmed from Adam’s law review. 

“The current patchwork of measures fails to provide integrated protections across the life history of the species. This stems from a complex life cycle spanning dozens of local, state, tribal, federal, and international jurisdictions as well as a cultural legacy of lamprey being considered ‘trash fish’ by western society and early fishery managers.” (Wicks-Arshack et al., 2018)

The specific details of Adam’s canoe journey are interesting and moving to say the least. For additional insight into his canoe journey and purpose, check out Treaty Talks, a short film.

In the English language today, tribal members will go “eeling” or go and get “eels” at the Willamette River Falls for example, the most utilized and abundant traditional gathering place for Pacific lamprey today. The Sahaptin language reference to lamprey is asum or ksuuyaas, depending on which part of the Columbia River your dialect originates (e.g., Lower, Middle, Upper). Adult eels return to the mainstem Columbia each and every summer, beginning generally in May and actively running through August. Generally speaking, there are only 2–3 abundant traditional gathering areas for lamprey today that include Willamette, usually occurring through the hottest days of July. Nearly all traditional lamprey fishing sites above the first three dams on the Columbia have become almost completely extinct of returning adult lamprey. 

To begin understanding the Columbia River Plateau people, one must understand their conscious daily devotions. The creation and survival of the Salmon People along Columbia are found in teaching and understanding interdependent food webs that begin with water quality, then onward to the spring chinook salmon, wild deer, wild roots, and wild berries. As it goes according to the respected Umatilla Elder and teacher, Inez Spino, from the Umatilla language (Sahaptin) dictionary: 

“The people came to be here, and then the foods named themselves: “Now I shall take the lead.” And the celery stood up. “I shall be first.” And the cous stood up. “I shall follow our older sister.” And the bitterroot stood up, and there the chokecherry stood up, and the chokecherry was followed by the huckleberry. And in the same way, the salmon stood up. “I shall take the lead, and my younger brothers will follow me.” And the deer stood up there, and the elk followed that one. Thusly the food nominated themselves, and all whatever roots grew, and all whatever are our foods. Those three nominated themselves that. Three foods nominated themselves, they who are, that which they sing, “Three foods are going around.” That is the salmon and the meat and the roots that stood up first. Now we shall be the keepers, they who will be the designated people here, and we will be their food.” (Rude, 2014)

As an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation who has always gathered from our traditional and seasonal food rotation that includes the summer eel, I felt great pride in working at the Bonneville Dam in the summer of 2021. I had been employed by the CRITFC as a fisheries technician for the Pacific lamprey translocation crew. Essentially, our job was to set traditionally fashioned lamprey traps below each of the first three mainstem Columbia River dams: the Bonneville, Dalles, and John Day Dams. Spanning across the width of the river from Oregon to Washington, lamprey traps were set and collected daily. Each trap could hold over 35 Pacific lampreys. As a dedicated translocation team, it was our critical responsibility to trap, collect, haul, and deliver as many fish as we could on a daily basis throughout the summer run. Corresponding fisheries managers, technicians, and culturists from Nez Perce, Yakama Nation, and Umatilla tribes would meet our team at John Day Dam to transfer collected fish from our fish-holding totes to theirs. The eels were now in the care of each tribal fisheries department to deliver to their traditional fishing/spawning tributaries on the Snake, Umatilla, and Yakima Rivers. The CRITFC employs and has a united vision for salmon and salmon people who are Indigenous in the Columbia River Basin. CRITFC’s mission is “to ensure a unified voice in the overall management of the fishery resources, and as managers, to protect reserved treaty rights through the exercise of the inherent sovereign powers of the tribes.”

This article, although grim with a glance into history and political ecology, seeks to bring new lights to human dimensions of restoration that occur in social-ecological relationship building within Indigenous communities. Holistic perspectives like relationality (relationship and accountability to everything) are not a new practice or concept among the tribes, but the terms “restore” and “salvage”, however, are. 

The sustainability of natural resources and fisheries amongst the Natives was maintained through intimate relationships and respect for all people, places, and things. To restore was never required. In my recent experience, Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) is now leading restorative thinking and, thus, decision-making agendas. We as people and community members are clever to find ways to turn unforgiving environmental histories into cultural revitalization programs and natural resource sustainability projects. The awakened cultural practice and knowledge system found in people, places, and all living things are what I like to refer to as the foundation for the human dimensions of restoration.

Human Dimensions of Restoration

“Nature is always changing, and that’s why I think it’s important to focus on restoring our relationship to a place. That relationship stays the same.” –Robin Wall-Kimmerer 

Fox et al. (2017) indeed have brought me heightened awareness as a professional, researcher, and critical thinker. Indigenous or holistic approaches to restoration consider the non-scientific community as greater or equally important in sustainability that benefits more than any one particular generation. Specifically, the authors state: 

“Restoration conventionally focuses on physical interventions to improve river form and function, such as bank stabilization, channel reconfiguration, floodplain reconnection, fish passage, in-stream habitat improvement, and dam removal/retrofitting. While many of these efforts have been successful, concerns remain about unclear priorities and uncertain approaches and the failure to fully include the “nonscientific community” in project planning and implementation which has led to inadequate consideration of the human dimensions of restoration.”

My interpretation of human dimensions considers Indigenous histories, reciprocal relationship practices, and most importantly the climate-related concept of future generations. Indigenous Traditional Ecological ITEK, although regionally and tribal specific, share in the concept and critical practice of teaching children values that are found in history, place, language, food webs, and appreciation for natural and cultural resources. 

Atwai (deceased) Elmer Crow of the Nez Perce Tribe traveled up and down the Columbia River, fishing, trading, and educating tribal communities about his “friendship” with the Pacific lamprey species throughout his entire life. The “lost fish” is a signature terminology credited to Mr. Crow and makes strong reference to Elmer’s (also known as Eel-mer) story and vision as well as the name of this article; it hopefully moves a greater audience to the underrepresented “lost fish” that never make it past the Bonneville Dam. The Elder also coined the expression “no eels, no deals” in fisheries management panels, political fora, and tribal community events. It is Elmer Crow who began the translocation project with his own truck, a fish tote, and the will to save the Pacific lamprey from unforeseen extinction rates of decline and abundance in the Snake River. The Lost Fish is a short film and documentary of Elmer Crow’s story. 

The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Warm Springs people (CRITFC) have been working together to protect all underrepresented traditional foods like the Pacific lamprey. Protection began with the collective voice of the Elders of these tribes when their in-depth understanding of food webs showed them a blatant imbalance in their diet as well as health and cultural practices with the decline in Pacific lamprey abundance. These were the Elders of many families, including my own. Asum is a prized delicacy amongst our people.

In the context of the application of environmental justice and of the human dimension of restoration, we continue to reawaken the living knowledge of our Elders to try and further communicate and understand the purpose of relationality. My great grandfathers and grandmothers were equally served injustice. Indigenous tribal history mirrors that of the “trash” and “lost” fish. Reconnecting our body, minds, and collective spirit to our brother asum has been a great healing for our families and has set in motion additional planning and reparations for the cultural icon and traditional dietary staple, the Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus). 

A historical failure to acknowledge and understand the significance of ITEK of the Columbia River tribes—along with the construction of dams that poorly accommodate salmon passage—continues to threaten the life cycle of this ancestor of the Columbia. The New Deal, Northwest Power Act, and construction of the Dalles and Bonneville Dams are a celebration for bringing power and light to the Pacific Northwest for all people, but a heartbreaking end to the once-rich and abundant Pacific salmon culture that witnessed millions of wild anadromous fishes flooding the Columbia River mainstem each year as a result of their continued extinction.

Contact Currents’ Editor-in-Chief for access to the following publications cited in this piece:

Fox, C. A., Reo, N. J., Turner, D. A., Cook, J., Dituri, F., Fessell, B., … & Wilson, M. (2017). “The river is us; the river is in our veins”: re-defining river restoration in three Indigenous communities. Sustainability Science, 12, 521–533.

Rude, N. (2014). Umatilla Dictionary: A Project of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Noel Rude. Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Wicks-Arshack, A., Dunkle, M., Matsaw, S., & Caudill, C. (2018). An ecological, cultural and legal review of Pacific lamprey in the Columbia River Basin. Idaho Law Review, 54, 45.