It would be practically impossible to overstate the significance of healthy salmon and steelhead runs and fisheries to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (Tribes).  In historic times, the Tribes maintained lifestyles which were closely and continuously adapted to the pulse of the riverine environments where they lived and traveled; clearly indicating that the Shoshone and Bannock peoples were fishers who relied, in one degree or another, on the anadromous fish species of the Columbia River Basin (Albers et al. 1998).  Today, Chinook salmon and steelhead remain important cultural and social symbols as well as a source of traditional foods and activities.

Although Tribal rights to harvest anadromous fish were reserved by the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 with the United States government, opportunities to exercise those rights have been severely compromised over the years, particularly by the collapse of wild salmon and steelhead runs returning to the Snake River subbasin due to land and water use and development by other parties.  The health of the salmon and steelhead resource and the access to meaningful levels of fishery participation and harvest are now extremely limited.  Efforts by non-Tribal parties have failed to maintain the availability of treaty-reserved resources and to protect the habitats upon which those resources depend.

The Tribes have a long history of managing fish, wildlife and their habitat both within and outside the exterior boundaries of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.  In response to continuing declines in fish runs and fisheries, the Tribes have developed a comprehensive fish, fish habitat and fishery restoration and management program for salmon and steelhead in the upper Salmon River basin.  This program has evolved and expanded over the years in response to new information and opportunities.  Ultimately, this program is directed to identify areas where artificial propagation strategies can be utilized to increase harvest opportunities for Tribal members through directly increasing adult abundance.  Monitoring, research, and evaluation is completed to assess the benefits and risks associated with each artificial propagation strategy. The program currently includes three Chinook salmon projects and two steelhead projects; additional projects may be developed if additional fisheries are needed to meet Tribal harvest goals and objectives.