CRT Library

Local Knowledge of Columbia River Fisheries in British Columbia, Canada

Excellent source of information of the local knowledge about pre- and post-Treaty fisheries on the Columbia River.

“In March of 2001, an overview of local and historical fish knowledge of the upper Columbia River was initiated with funding from Environment Canada and the Columbia-Kootenay Fisheries Renewal Partnership. The program was commissioned by the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative in planning for restorative efforts in the basin. The broad intent of the program is to develop a better understanding of the historical distribution of indigenous fish populations within the Columbia drainage.
This document aims to present some of the knowledge held by the residents of the Columbia River on their fishery resource. It is by no means complete. We had only two months (March and April, 2001) to conduct research for this program and have therefore, just begun to uncover the fisheries knowledge residing in our communities. Local support for this program was overwhelming and reports continued to be received at the time of publication.
The bulk of the information within focuses on Columbia River white sturgeon and burbot (a.k.a. lingcod) populations. Due to their critically imperiled status, these were identified as priority species. Information gathered on other indigenous fish species was rather serendipitous and was not targeted during our research.
During the course of this investigation, it was particularly difficult for us not to pursue the many leads to First Nations. The pioneer residents we visited repeatedly pointed us to the Elders’ knowledge and expertise regarding the natural history of the region. However, this area of research is being addressed in a separate document and we were thus instructed not to include these individuals in our interviews. We eagerly anticipate their contribution. While there are many gaps in our research, what we have managed to document is nevertheless remarkable. As a fisheries biologist, I was continually impressed by the breadth of knowledge held by local anglers. Many of the people we interviewed had, at one point or another in their lives, depended on the river and its resources as a food source. Consequently, the intimate knowledge of Columbia River fish populations attained by long time residents was largely born of necessity rather than recreational pass-times. Young and old, anglers of the region demonstrated concern for their fisheries resource. The Columbia River fish populations are a part of their heritage and culture. Thus, they have generously donated their time and knowledge to this program in the expressed hope that it makes a difference in preserving this legacy.” (Taken from Preface)

Note: the full text is not available in the CRTDL. For online availability, check: http://uppercolumbiasturgeon.org/Research/LocalKnowledgeOfFisheries.pdf

Author: Columbia-Kootenay Fisheries Renewal Partnership, Westslope Fisheries
Publisher: Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Restoration Initiative
Date: 2001-06

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