Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Abstract

• Pacific salmon are at the heart of the ecosystems and communities that have lived in the Columbia River basin since time immemorial. Through centuries of reciprocity and reverence for salmon, Indigenous people developed systems of management through communal rules and spiritual rituals. In turn, they managed salmon populations sustainably and allowed large salmon runs to return year after year. Colonialism radically disrupted this intricate balance between humans and fish. In this time, tribal land was dispossessed, traditional Indigenous management practices were supplanted with western management, and salmon populations declined. In this thesis, I explore the legal and historical context of this issue to understand how salmon are governed and how co-management operates today. I then review Indigenous management of salmon based in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and explore how these time-tested practices can contribute to salmon restoration today. Comparing TEK practices with western management practices, I document the limitations of western management and suggest methods for the two knowledge paradigms to be bridged. Finally, I express that the re-incorporation of TEK practices in salmon management is feasible, will directly benefit the salmon, and provides an empowering resolution for Indigenous people.

Creator

• Lipson, Josh

Date Awarded

• 2022-04-04

Academic Affiliation

• Environmental Studies

Advisor

• Brooks, Cassandra

Committee Member

• PIELKE, ROGER, Jr.
• Carroll, Clint

Granting Institution

• University of Colorado Boulder

Subject

• Environmental Justice
• Indigenous Management
• Treaty Rights
• Climate Change
• Columbia River
• Hydroelectric Dams
• Pacific Salmon
• Traditional Ecological Knowledge
• Pacific Northwest

Last Modified

• 2022-04-12

Resource Type

• Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Rights Statement

• In Copyright

Language

• English [eng]

License

• Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 International

Relationships

In Collection:

• Arts and Sciences Honors Program

Items

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Visibility	Actions
	A_Glimpse_into_the_Loss_of_Salmon_Populations_in_the_Columbia_River_Basin_and_the_Case_for_Incorporating_Traditional_Indigenous_Management_in_Restoration.pdf	2022-04-12	Public	Download