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Mark Franco of the Winnemem Wintu - Source: ONE News -
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A group of Native Americans have arrived in Christchurch on a
spiritual journey which they hope will ultimately result in salmon
being re-established back home.
The salmon in their own rivers are dying out but they are thriving
in New Zealand after being introduced around a hundred years
ago.
Twenty-eight members of the Winnemem Wintu tribe plan to perform a ceremonial dance next week by the Rakaia River to lure the fish back to California.
Tribe members also hope to take some salmon eggs back to California.
The Chinook or Quinnat salmon are native to the Pacific but are in short supply in northern California, mostly due to the damming of the Sacramento River.
For several years, tribe members have highlighted their cause and their connection with the salmon they have lost, but their voices have fallen on deaf ears.
New Zealand's Fish and Game though says they are fully in favour of helping the American tribe to repopulate the Sacramento River with the salmon.
"Some time soon those salmon will come home, when US Fish and Wildlife wake up and realise they are not a foreign fish," Chief Caleen Sisk-Franco of the Winnemem Wintu tribe says.
"It's OK to bring them back to their home waters... It'll be good for everyone."
Fish and Game say once the red tape is sorted out at the American end, exporting fertilised salmon eggs will be easy.
What do you think about the apology to New Zealand salmon? Share your thoughts on the messageboard below.
Add a Comment:
Post new commentliltiki said on 2010-07-21 @ 13:24 NZDT: Report abusive post
I feel really embarrased to be a New Zealander when reading the type of ignorant messages that have been left regarding this. I am a native of Aotearoa and feel this type of cultural/spiritual disrespect just stupid... Who said the native Americans overfished them? where did you get that from! Bored Americans? really NZ wake up and grow up! They were not hurting anyone when they came to get what rightfully belonged to them. Nor did they come to this country and disrespect our native practice
ChrisB22 said on 2010-03-24 @ 08:38 NZDT: Report abusive post
I live on the banks of the Fraser River in British Columbia and have seen the salmon fishery disappear before my eyes, as it has in all the North American river systems south of here. Overfishing, habitat destruction, sea lice; greed and ignorance ultimately, have destroyed the major food source of coastal 1st Nations people. I am glad that salmon thrive in NZ, we may need to borrow some back. Salmon have always attempted to return to the stream they came from. I doubt many remember California.
bells78 said on 2010-03-22 @ 21:48 NZDT: Report abusive post
but maybe its because of where they want them to go arent there fires n stuff happing ova there, n y not just take some salmon eggs, n wat if they make all the samlon go????
Georay said on 2010-03-22 @ 18:20 NZDT: Report abusive post
Why do media make this sound so lame and stupid. Anyway, why in this world can we not respect indigenous cultures and be more tolerant of others. Thought we lived in Aotearoa, not redneck land! Are we not gracious enough to SHARE what we have.... and respect others.
Ranjan74 said on 2010-03-22 @ 12:51 NZDT: Report abusive post
No disrespect to the Native Americans. The Americans changed the rule to include artificially bred Salmon to the the salmon count and then over fished and destroyed the fish population. What will be different this time. What has changed.