Fisheries

About Fisheries

The Fisheries Department manages the Tribes fish and fisheries resources across the reservation, ceded lands and usual and accustomed stations. The department is comprised of a habitat program, a research and monitoring program and a Hood River program.

The Fisheries Department has offices in Warm Springs, John Day, Prairie City, The Dalles, Parkdale, and Oregon City and employs approximately 80 to 100 people over the year. About 50% are tribal members or other tribes.

The department works with the fish and wildlife committee to establish fishing seasons and provide direction to enhancing and restoring the aquatic habitat and watersheds important to the tribes culturally significant species.

Research and Monitoring Program: Design and implement projects that address critical uncertainties for fish stocks for which the tribes have a cultural and management obligations to protect and restore.

Fisheries Management Program: A holistic program that applies the latest science to help move fish populations into an upward condition providing harvestable, sustainable populations for future generations.

Hood River Production Program: A program that reestablishes a self-sustaining population of salmon and provides harvest for present and future tribal members using supplementation, habitat enhancement and protection, and harvest management.

Fisheries Habitat Program: To protect and improve upland, riparian and aquatic habitats. To develop habitat that has proper function and are capable of producing the full and expected carrying capacities within the boundaries of the reservation, and on ceded, usual and accustomed, and aboriginal lands of the Confederated Tribes of the Warms Springs.

Mission

The mission of the Fisheries Department is to provide fisheries populations at harvestable levels, allowing opportunities for tribal members to exercise their treaty rights of harvest using information gained from research, management and habitat programs within the Fisheries Department of the Branch Natural Resources.

To ensure that communication occurs between the department and Tribal Council, various committees and the tribal public to support policy and regulatory authority of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon.

Fisheries Department Goals

Goal #1. Protect and enhance fisheries habitat on the reservation and within the ceded territories to improve carrying capacity of culturally significant aquatic species. Ensure a properly functioning watershed.

Goal #2. Monitor natural production of anadromous and resident fish populations on reservation streams and tribally managed conservation areas throughout the ceded territories. Provide technical support for external organizations and agencies monitoring projects in the ceded territories and usual and accustomed locations.

Goal #3. Enhance and supplement populations of Chinook salmon and steelhead trout in streams within the reservation and in coordination with state and federal agencies on streams within the ceded territories and usual and accustomed locations.

Goal #4. Improve tribal resource management capabilities through participation of interagency committees, local watershed councils and soil and water conservation districts. Provide increased communication with reservation fish and wildlife committees, and support at policy forums with CRITFC, CBFWA, NPCC and Federal Executive meetings.

Goal #5. Provide educational outreach opportunities for tribal members interested in a natural resources field after high school graduation. Provide cross training opportunities for natural resource staff.