Yakama Nation Fisheries Projects

Industrial and agricultural pollution and toxic contamination, dams that block fish migration and access to spawning habitat—the decline of salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and lamprey in the Columbia River is has many causes. To restore the river and the life that depends upon it, the Yakama Nation Fisheries is employing many and varied strategies, simultaneously. In some areas, habitat recovery is the key; in others, supplementation of salmon runs may need to be the driver.

Last updated: Tue, 10/22/2019

Four nursery lakes in the Yakima River Basin, which historically produced an estimated annual return of at least 200,000 sockeye, were removed from production in the early 1900s when irrigation storage dams were constructed without passage.  The Y

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

Dramatic declines in the abundance of anadromous Pacific salmonids have occurred over the last century in the Columbia River basin.  Population declines followed harvest, hydrosystem and watershed development, habitat loss and degradation, and red

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

We studied the nest-site characteristics of Western Bluebirds nesting in natural tree cavities in burned and unburned logged ponderosa pine forests along the east-slope of the Cascade Range of Washington, 2003–2008 and 2010. We compared 13 bluebir

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

A major limiting factor affecting the healthy function of the watershed/habitat is the presence of an unscreened surface water diversion located on South Fork Simcoe Creek.

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

Yakama Nation fisheries staff developed a plan to install fish screens on three irrigation diversion ditches in Simcoe Creek Watershed, which is home to multiple freshwater life history stages of  ESA listed Mid-Columbia River steelhe

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

This project expands research, monitoring, and evaluation (RM&E) activities conducted by the co-managers in the Yakima Basin (Yakama Nation and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife-WDFW) to better evaluate viable salmonid population (VSP

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

This project was implemented to assist in managing the migration of cattle from low elevations in the spring to higher elevations in the early summer.  Prior to the project, upon cattle turnout on May 1, cattle would quickly travel approximately 2

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

The Twisp River Cattle Management Project provides riparian protection for Upper Columbia Steelhead in the Twisp River Watershed. The project was done on federal lands in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS).

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

The 8 Mile Ranch Project (8 Mile Ranch) restores habitat and hydraulic refuge for fish rearing and holding within one reach of the Chewuch River.

Last updated: Fri, 06/28/2019

Yakama Nation Fisheries (YNF) has been exploring sturgeon culture requirements by rearing small numbers of white sturgeon in tribal hatchery facilities since the 1990s.  Fish were obtained from various sources, including the private Pelfrey sturge