Ancestral Fish Weir Baskets

Our tribal ancestors were expert wardens of the land. They harvested fish from the Russian River for generations without negative impact to the fragile ecosystem of ancient Salmon migrations. Creating habitat ponds that diverted the river into small controlled areas allowed our ancestors to collect fish by the ton, feed their families and have a valuable commodity to use for trading. This is a technique known as Fishing Weir. Much like what elder Reg Elgin and the DCR participated in during the 2013 Habitat Restoration project. Except now we are creating these habitats to help preserve the Salmon instead of harvest them. Here is a photo that personifies not only the fine mesh fish weir baskets used for harvesting, but also a rare look at a Southern Pomo habitat pond (Fishing Weir) and a Southern Pomo man. Click image to see bigger size photo.