Tribes in the Pacific Northwest are working to save the lamprey, a prehistoric fish, from extinction.

Tribes in Oregon, Washington and Idaho have long depended on the fish for food. But experts estimate only about 20,000 still cross through the Columbia River basin.

"That's really sad," Aaron Jackson, who leads lamprey restoration efforts for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, told the Associated Press. "That something this old would just wink out in my lifetime—that's unfathomable to me."

Tribes are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make it easier for lamprey through travel through dams, which post the biggest threat to the fish.

Get the Story:
NW tribes drive effort to save primitive fish (AP 8/2)

Related Stories:
OPB: Northwest tribes feel impact of climate change on foods (7/29)