Yurok Tribal members and biologists set up fish traps with technicians on a tributary of the Klamath River in California
Vivian Wan
Winning the New Scientist Editors Award in the Earth Photo 2025 competition, this captivating photograph by Vivian Wan captures the essence of restoring a way of life. It showcases members of the Yurok community collaborating with biologists and technicians to set up rotary screw traps on the Trinity river, a vital tributary of the Klamath river, in Willow Creek, California. Through the use of fish traps, the team conducts examinations on the health of the fish and studies their migration patterns.
For the Yurok community, the Klamath basin holds immense cultural significance as it provides large Chinook salmon, a species that holds deep spiritual importance. However, centuries of colonization in the region have led to the displacement of the Yurok people and the depletion of local resources due to activities like mining, logging, and dam construction. The impact of climate change and diverted river water further exacerbated the challenges faced by the salmon population, pushing them to the brink. The fight to remove the river’s dams gained momentum after a tragic incident in 2002, where tens of thousands of Chinook salmon in the Klamath River perished. Last year marked a significant milestone as the final dam on the river was dismantled.
Vivian Wan aimed to shed light on how Indigenous communities like the Yurok lead the charge for environmental justice through her photography. She expresses her hope that viewers will develop a deeper appreciation for the strength, culture, and resilience of the Yurok people in their quest to protect the Klamath basin.
Displayed below is Hunter Mattz, a technician with Yurok Fisheries, utilizing a monitor to examine magnified salmon scales, gathering essential data on mortality rates caused by fishing and natural factors. This data plays a crucial role in determining catch limits, setting spawning goals, and forecasting run size, all of which are vital indicators of salmon population health and abundance.
Mattz, a third-year Yurok Tribe Fisheries Technician, observes a monitor displaying magnified salmon scales
Vivian Wan
Here, Hunter Mattz is seen examining a needle-thin tag, which contributes valuable data to the fish-monitoring research program.
Mattz holds a tiny fish tag that contributes data to the fish monitoring program
Vivian Wan
As part of the Net Harvesting Project, Mattz undertakes a challenging over 70-kilometer journey from the Pacific Ocean mouth through the estuary, the heart of the Klamath basin, and beyond Blue Creek, California. This expedition is instrumental in collecting data on fish species caught by local residents using nets and lines. The documented information has played a pivotal role in securing grants for marine conservation efforts in the Klamath region.
