Sockeye salmon attempt to swim up one of the gates at the Zosel Dam in Oroville, Washington. The salmon migrate up the Okanogan River to Osoyoos Lake, where they wait before proceeding up tributaries in the late summer to spawn. (Richard McGuire file photo)
The following is a news release from the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA):
The Syilx community has commenced their food fishery for Okanagan Salmon. Nation fishermen have begun to harvest at sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ and along the Okanagan River. Okanagan sockeye are a keystone food source for Syilx Peoples, and are central to providing food security for Syilx people in the Okanagan.
Chief Jonathan Kruger of the Penticton Indian Band stated, “For so many years our salmon was lost to our community, so to be able to come out and harvest is integral to who we are as indigenous people.”
The primary mandate of ONA is to ensure the conservation of the sockeye fishery. “Our goal is to get agreement with the U.S. on how many salmon to spawn in the Oliver and Penticton areas”, said Howie Wright, ONA Fisheries Manager.
For over 15 years the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA), in collaboration with multiple organizations and agencies, have worked tirelessly to bring sockeye salmon back to the Okanagan region. This program has exceeded expectations, with hundreds of thousands of fish entering the Columbia River system every year for the past four years. Though previous years have seen devastation to the fishery due to environmental disruptions, 2016 is promising to have a successful return of salmon.
As of July 13, 2016, over 164,000 have been counted through the Wells Passage in Washington state. ONA continues to actively monitor tags from the U.S. into Canada, and are revising estimates of available surplus for possible harvest options on a weekly basis. ONA is currently monitoring flows and temperature of water, fish abundance (relative tags to dam counts/video counts), and acoustic surveys to estimate fish densities to inform predictions of abundance.
ONA will continue to provide timely, up to date releases in regards to the sockeye fishery in the Okanagan over the coming fishing season.
The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) was formed in 1981 as the inaugural First Nations government in the Okanagan, which represents the eight-member Okanagan communities. The ONA’s “Okanagan Sockeye Reintroduction Program” is a 15-year project which has successfully worked to bring indigenous sockeye salmon back to the Okanagan.
sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ (Okanagan Falls) is a sacred and cultural site for the Okanagan people, and continues to be one of the key sites for both food fishing and traditional ceremony for Syilx communities.
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Osoyoos Times
