Fisheries

The Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program YTFP is dedicated to understanding, managing, conserving, and restoring fish populations of the Klamath Basin for the benefit of present and future generations of Yurok People.

The Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program is comprised of the following four major divisions: Harvest Management Division (engages in all aspects of fishery harvest management and monitors the Yurok fishery); Lower Klamath Division (conducts research, monitoring, and restoration of fisheries resources in the Lower Klamath River Sub-basin); Trinity River Division (research, monitoring, and restoration of Trinity River fishery resources); and, Klamath River Division (conducts research and monitoring throughout the watershed with a focus on informing water management policy).

Every fish species in the Klamath Basin is important to Yurok People from cultural, sustenance, and ecological perspectives, particularly those that spend part of their life in the ocean and migrate through the Yurok reservation such as Chinook and coho samlon, steelhead, Paficic lamprey, eulachon, coastal cutthroat, and greeen sturgeon. YTFP uses cutting edge techniques to conduct fisheries research and monitoring, and our team is dedicated to providing the best available scientific information to guide management and restoration decisions. In recognition of the benefits of working cooperatively, we have established collaborative co-management relationships with state, federal, and tribal agencies, universities, and private entities that conduct or promote research and management actions within the watershed.

Consistent with our commitment to scientific integrity and transparency, the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program publishes the results of our work in technical reports and memorandums that are available on this website to the public in addition to articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. We facilitate and implement small and large-scale restoration and have played a leadership role in restoration efforts throughout the Klamath Basin; including the agreements to remove the lower four dams on the main stem Klamath River and conduct landscape-scale restoration through the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement; both necessary steps for restoring the Klamath River. Please explore our website to learn more about our endeavors, research, and job opportunities.