The Yakama Nation of Washington is reintroducing the Pacific lamprey to waters on its reservation.

The lamprey is an eel-like fish that was once common in the region. “There would be so many, they’d turn the water black,” project manager Patrick Luke told The Yakima Herald-Republic.

Dams in the Columbia River basin have prevented the fish from migrating to their usual and accustomed grounds. So the tribe is bringing the lamprey back with its hatchery program and is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to install lamprey ramps.

The lamprey is known as "asum" in Sahaptin, one of the languages spoken on the reservation.

Get the Story:
Lamprey returned to Yakima River basin (The Yakima Herald-Republic 5/15)