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2 wát̓ uy nápt (first, two)

Confederated Umatilla Journal - June 2023

Lamprey consumption advisory issued

ABOUT THE CUJ

The Confederated Umatilla Journal (CUJ) was created in 1975 as the official publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), which includes the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people. The 6,000+ circulation newspaper is based out of Pendleton, Oregon, is produced by the CT UIR’s Communications Department and is printed monthly in Lewiston, Idaho.

Confederated Umatilla Journal 46411 Timine Way Pendleton, OR 97801 Phone: 541-429-7005 Fax: 541-429-7005 General inquiries via email: cuj@ctuir.org

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State: Adults should eat no more than four lamprey servings per month PCBs, mercury found in lamprey collected in Columbia River and tributaries

LAMPREY CONSUMPTION ADVISORY Oregon Health Authority has issued a Consumption Advisory for Pacific lamprey collected in the Columbia River and its tributaries in Oregon.

WA R N I N G !

OHA recommends people to limit consumption of lamprey (eels) to:

SERVINGS PER MONTH

The Oregon Health Authority has issued a fish consumption advisory for Those who are People with Pacific lamprey in the Columbia River Children If nursing Children 6+ pregnant or who may thyroid or immune Adults under 6 a baby and teens and its tributaries due to high levels of become pregnant system problems mercury and PCBs found in lamprey OHA sampled Pacific lamprey from the rivers listed above and found PCBs and mercury tissue. (both can impair brain development and immune system function, especially in developing The advisory is to limit consumers fetuses, babies, and children). The levels were similar among all three rivers, which leads exposure to the toxic substances. The scientists to suspect the contaminants came from the lamprey’s time in the ocean. advisory does not include other migratory fish such as salmon and steelhead. Cooking and Serving Lamprey Babies, children, people with thyroid or immune system problems, and those OHA advises a serving limit of four Preparation methods that who are pregnant, planning to become allow fats to drop off the servings per month for adults and chilmeat such as smoking, pregnant, or are nursing should take dren over 6 years old. It set an advisory drying, or grilling can extra efforts to follow this advisory. reduce the PCB concenof two servings per month for children The health effects on developing fetustration levels. The oils and es, babies, and small children of eating under age 6, women who are pregnant fats in the fish are where contaminated fish can include lifelong PCBs accumulate. or plan to become pregnant, women learning problems and cancer. who are nursing babies, and people with This advisory recommends limiting thyroid or immune-system problems. An adult serving is 8-oz, lamprey consumption, not removing it which is about one of the PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are from your diet. Fish (including lamprey) pieces in the photo. the primary contributor to health risks are a healthy food source and rich in A child serving is half that because of the high lipid (fat) content of nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids. Ome(4-oz). ga-3s provide protection from heart dislamprey tissue. ease and are an important brain food for Corinne Sams, a member of the Board you, your children, and your unborn child. of Trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation who serves as the Chair of the Tribes’ Fish and Wildlife Commission, said tribes are well aware of the contamination issue and are River and more recently has been ex- vides information specific to the number working to address the cause, which is panded to include the Grande Ronde of servings per month for youth to adults. The OHA set the serving limit to and Tucannon sub-basins. water pollution. Lamprey, which migrate to the Pa- give people a guideline to prevent a “We are working diligently to keep our fish from being contaminated,” cific Ocean and return to spawn, have dangerous level of exposure to the toxic been observed spawning, rearing and substances. Sams said. “Our “This advisory recommends limiting out-migrating connection, access, in the targeted lamprey consumption, not completely and consumption “We are working s u p p l e m e n - removing it from your diet,” the OHA of lamprey and diligently to keep tation basins, said in a news release. “Fish, including our first foods is lamprey, are rich in nutrients – omega-3 Sams said. imperative to our our fish from being In fact, re- fatty acids, which provide protection lifeways.” contaminated. Our turns of Pacific from heart disease and are important Sams said the lamprey to the brain food for you, your children, and CTUIR Pacific connection, access, and Umatilla Riv- your unborn child.” Lamprey Research consumption of lamprey Aja DeCouteau, executive director er provided a and Restoration of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish harvest opporProject will conand our first foods tunity in 2019. Commission, said lamprey have been tinue to exercise is imperative to our However, pas- an important part of the cultures, diets, treaty rights in the sage through and ceremonies of Columbia Basin tribes Willamette River, lifeways.” the Columbia since time immemorial. where the research “The tribes have been successful River reservoir has been ongoing - Corinne Sams, member of the CTUIR system contin- leading the effort to restore this threatfor more than 20 Board of Trustees ues to contrib- ened fish through the Columbia River years. ute to signifi- Basin, not only to protect its role in the The CTUIR lamcant loss and ecosystem, but also to preserve our prey project has access to this important first food. As delay between dams, Sams said. developed and implemented suppleThis year, it is anticipated that Wil- Oregon’s largest consumers of lamprey, mentation actions for adult and larval lamprey through CTUIR usual and lamette Falls will be the focal point for the advisory will impact tribal people accustomed fishing areas. The project Pacific lamprey harvest opportunities. most of all. We must work together to started in 2000 with release of adult lam- The CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Commis- make limiting consumption a temporary prey into the headwaters of the Umatilla sion will notify tribal members of the solution because the tribes believe that River. The pilot reintroduction effort anticipated date for ceremonial and the long-term solution to this problem isn’t keeping people from eating contamwas designed to document and identify subsistence distribution, Sams said. The OHA in the fall of 2022 released its inated fish, it’s keeping fish from being spawning success in the river system. Restoration continues in the Umatilla fish-consumption advisory, which pro- contaminated in the first place.”