On July 11th, the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA), with our Bringing the Salmon Home: The Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative (CRSRI) partners, Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC), Secwépemc Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the BC Ministry of Water Land and Resource Stewardship released 16 adult sc’win (sockeye salmon) to the Arrow Lakes.
These salmon were released as a part of our work towards kł cp̓əlk̓ stim̓ (cause to come back). The Arrow Lakes historically produced many adult sockeye salmon before access was blocked by the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam. The sockeye were released with acoustic tracking tags that will allow us to track the fish as they migrate through the lake, hopefully homing to spawning tributaries and showing us the way home. It is possible that these fish will survive to spawn and produce wild origin sockeye salmon from the Arrow Lakes for the first time in 85 years!
This is a monumental moment for the Syilx Nation as this is the first-time adult sockeye have been released into the Arrow Lakes since 1938. This work could not have been done without the tireless work of our team and partners. It is our hope that these fish will provide us with data to inform future Sockeye Fry releases and continue building the story that salmon reintroduction is possible in the Canadian Reaches of the Columbia River.