Science and Sovereignty: Restoring Salmon, Culture, and the Columbia River

Tribal-Led Science Is Restoring the Columbia River

For the Columbia River Tribes, salmon are central to culture, sustenance, and sovereignty. In this film, Donella Miller, Fisheries Science Manager at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) and a member of the Yakama Nation, shares how the commission is using both traditional ecological knowledge and advanced genetics to protect and restore salmon runs across the Columbia Basin.

From the adult fish facility at Bonneville Dam to CRITFC’s mobile genetics lab, viewers follow the process of real-time fish sampling, collecting fin clips and gill samples that help determine run timing, population health, and genetic lineage. This work plays a critical role in ensuring sustainable harvest practices and protecting endangered stocks, while honoring the cultural and treaty-based fishing rights of the tribes.

The story also explores the decades-long effort to remove the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, an achievement that continues to shape CRITFC’s broader advocacy and ecological restoration work. With tribal members leading projects from reforestation to fisheries data collection, this is a full-circle approach grounded in stewardship and community.

At its core, the work is about protecting natural systems and cultural lifeways for future generations. With science as a tool and tradition as a guide, CRITFC is proving that restoration is not just possible — it’s powerful.