Fish has always been an important part of our diet, both in the past and today. As you read on, you will realize that our relationship with fish, especially salmon, involved more than food. The way we treated fish (and other animals) reflected our worldview. Our ancestors believed that everything was created by a Creator, God. We are all part of one sacred family. That means everything is to be treated with respect.

Salmon was by far the most important fish for our people. We honour the importance of salmon to our people even in our legends. Our elders tell us that the Tseskyia Cho landmarks were put there to ask the River to bring salmon to us. In return, we treat the salmon with respect.

We do not abuse the fish, either through overfishing or in the way we handle the fish. We put the bones from our first fish back into the water to say thanks to the salmon and the river. If we do not respect the fish, then perhaps they will not return to the River. Other legends emphasize that we must respect salmon and teach us how to do so.

As we saw earlier, our movement throughout the year was determined by salmon runs. If you look at a map of our old villages, you will see that many of the villages were built on salmon rivers. In fact, some villages were built in certain places because of the salmon. For example, salmon continued to be caught in some upper waters until freeze-up. So we have villages on these waters so that we can catch these fish.

Because we dried salmon in fish houses, salmon had an effect on the way we built our houses and the way we lived. Building our fish houses and working to put up fish, required the help of many people. So we were reminded of how important we are to each other. We remembered that cooperation was very, very important to our survival as individuals and as a people.

The main way of preserving salmon was by drying it in a smokehouse. As you see in the section on Houses, there is a traditional way of drying our fish. There was also a traditional way of dividing up the work. In addition to carrying on the normal chores involved in keeping a family, men, women and children had traditional chores related to salmon fishing.

Men were responsible for the heavy work involved in setting and pulling nets. Men, women and children helped remove the fish from the nets. Men helped carry the fish. In the past, their work with the fish would be done at this point, except for helping to move the fish in the fish house.

Women were responsible for cutting the fish and preparing it for drying. They gutted the fish, made ennacauga, split the fish, and hung it to begin the drying process. They moved fish to higher racks in the fish house as it dried.

Children helped with whatever they were able. They might help to pull the net in. They might help to remove the fish from the net. They might help carry fish. They might help collect wood for the smudges in the smokehouse. They would help care for younger children and help to prepare meals.

Nowadays, preserving salmon involves the family at all stages. Men, women, and children work together. They do whatever they can to help out. Men as well as women, gut and split the salmon for drying. There is not such a division between men's and women's jobs anymore.

Fish camp, today, is usually carried on in a much shorter time period. Our people who live in the area may put up fish over a longer time, but those of us who go to fish camp, spend only a short time there. Most people who travel back to fish in the Stikine, do so on their holidays. So, they might spend several day us or a few weeks only. They will take only enough fish to last them until they can return.

When the net has been pulled and the salmon prepared for drying or for the canning bucket, there is usually time for visiting. We catch up on news from our friends and our family. We know that this is one time of the year when we can meet each other. All we have to do is be there, and maybe let others know when we will be going to fish camp.

It is difficult for some people to understand how close we feel to our salmon and how important salmon are in our lives, even today. The story that shows this the best is the following true story:

Two cousins who live away from Tahltan country met uptown one winter day. As they talked, they began discussing holiday plans. Of course, the conversation soon turned to whether or not they would go to fish camp on the Stikine River.

One cousin said, "I'm going. I have to go! I'm so homesick for our salmon that I find myself going by the fish section in our grocery store. Even the smell of frozen fish helps me be not so lonesome."

Salmon spawned in lakes and head waters of the Stikine River and major tributaries. They followed a four-year cycle from birth to death. When the eggs hatched, the fingerling migrated to the ocean. There they spent four years growing to adulthood. At the end of four years, they returned to spawn in the waters where they were born.

Each kind of salmon has its certain time for running. So each year our people know when to expect to be salmon fishing. Salmon are still silvery and firm when they reach Tahltan River. It is only in runs later in the year that the salmon have turned a dark red with a hooked beak.

Chum was caught only in the Stikine and Iskut Rivers in the late summer and fall.

Pink salmon were also only in the Skikine and Iskut, in the same run as the Chum.

Coho was caught in the Stikine, Iskut, Shesley, and Nahlin Rivers. These fish ran until late fall. Our older people tell us of how the old people used to build wooden cribs. Then, when they caught salmon in late fall, they would simply drop them into the cribs. It was so cold that the fish froze and so were preserved for use later.

King or Chinook or Spring salmon were the largest salmon. This fish was the earliest to begin running.

Sockeye salmon is the most popular salmon today. It retains its excellent flavour when canned, and dries well. The main spawning bed is Tahltan Lake, so most of the fish went up the Stikine to the Tahltan River. However, another run goes up the Shesley River. Several of our old fishing villages were located in the Nass river region because of the runs that come up the Skeena River.

Steelhead trout also followed the same life cycle as the salmon. These fish are in all river systems, running in two or more runs from May to September.

Fresh water fish are in rivers and lakes year round. They did not migrate to the ocean. Fresh water fish were easily caught when they were at the spawning grounds. In some creeks, such as Tedideeche Creek, they were so plentiful that they could be caught with your hands. In fact, that is the meaning of the creek's name.

Our ancestors caught fish with nets or bone fish hooks long ago. Nowadays we still fish for fresh water fish, but now we usually use fishing rods and fish hooks bought from the store.

One thing that a person fishing needs to know is where the fish are at certain times of the year. In some rivers, the fish move from the river to a lake. Or they might move to deeper waters in the river.

Fish were traditionally smoked and dried to preserve them for later use. Then, when non-natives arrived, they brought other methods of preserving fish. Nowadays we have kept our own way and included the ways we learned from other people. For example, we learned to hot smoke fish, especially lake trout. This gives a delicious flavour to the fish.

Today we preserve fresh water fish by: smoking (hot and/or cold smoke), freezing (best done in blocks of ice or vacuum-sealed), canning in jars, and salting.

Rainbow trout is still plentiful in our country. These fish are found in all fresh waters in the area, except for Dease Lake.

Lake trout are not found in all lakes and rivers. They can be caught in Dease Lake, Cold Fish Lake, Nahlin River, and Tuya River.

Cutthroat trout are found in many rivers and lakes around the area. This trout looks much like the rainbow, except that this fish has a red marking near the gills.

Dolly Varden are found in rivers throughout our county. This fish can be caught with a hook and fish eggs during salmon runs. They usually travel in schools, so when one is caught, there are often more to be had.

Ling Cod (Burbot) is found in larger rivers and lakes. Traditionally it was thought to be an inferior fish, not edible. Today we know that the strip of meat on the backbone makes delicious fish and chips.

Arctic grayling is found in waters throughout our country.

Whitefish was a favourite food. It was most plentiful in Dease Lake, although these could be found in other waters as well.

Pike were caught in Dease Lake.

Squawfish were caught only in the Skeena river system.