Century-Old Fish Traps Return to Save Columbia River Salmon

A fishing method banned for almost a century is making a stunning comeback on the Columbia River, and this time it's helping save salmon instead of wiping them out.

In 2025, Oregon and Washington authorized three fish traps to operate commercially for the first time since the 1930s. These modern traps gently corral fish into fenced river areas where fishers can harvest what they need and release endangered species safely back into the water.

The Columbia River once saw 20 million salmon migrate upstream each year. By the late 1970s, that number had crashed by 97 percent due to dams, pollution, and overfishing. Today, only about one million salmon and steelhead remain, with 17 populations listed as threatened or endangered.

Native American tribes used fish traps sustainably for thousands of years, catching only what they needed. But when European settlers arrived in the 1800s, they turned the technology into an industrial operation that devastated salmon populations and sparked violent conflicts with other fishers.

The controversy grew so bitter that "fish trap pirates" stole catches from trap operators. In 1896, striking fishermen destroyed traps and shot at workers, leading to murder. The backlash eventually resulted in total bans across both states.

The Bright Side

Today's fish traps look nothing like their destructive predecessors. Scientists have spent the past decade testing modern versions that protect fish while providing economic opportunities for fishers struggling with declining salmon runs.

The new pilot program marks the first test of whether fish traps can be economically viable while serving conservation goals. Early experiments show promise for reducing harm to endangered species compared to gillnets, which can injure fish that need to be released.

Donella Miller, fishery science manager for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, sees potential in bringing back the traditional practice with modern safeguards. The key difference is intention: using ancient wisdom paired with today's conservation science to heal what industrial fishing once destroyed.

This comeback story proves that sometimes moving forward means looking back to find sustainable solutions our ancestors knew all along.