Sarah Barnes of Nez Perce Fisheries on

“Sockeye Salmon”

Tuesday, October 29th

12-1pm

Bio: For the past 7ish years I have conducted fisheries research in a variety of ecosystems from small Midwest streams to the open ocean and many places in between. I 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. My 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.