Walla Walla River Subbasin Spring Chinook Reintroduction

 

The presence of naturally spawning salmon in the river in places and times where they historically occurred is of cultural importance to the CTUIR. The CTUIR Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has adopted a mission based on the First Foods.  This framework for natural resource management seeks to reflect the unique tribal values associated with natural resources and to emphasize ecological processes that are undervalued.  This approach provides a direct and culturally appropriate means for monitoring and reporting ecological conditions to the tribal community.  The CTUIR has a comprehensive Walla Walla water and fish restoration strategy that includes: fish passage improvements, instream flow enhancement, artificial propagation salmon reintroduction, watershed protection and restoration, stream habitat enhancement, harvest management, and monitoring and evaluation. Spring Chinook were absent from the Walla Walla for 75 years when hatchery releases began in the Walla Walla in 2000 under US vs. Oregon, resulting in both natural and hatchery returns of adult spring Chinook.  Fish ladder video counts at Nursery Bridge Dam shows the fish stock building during the early part of this century, peak returns at the turn of the decade, and an apparent return to smaller run sizes in more recent years.