The Lost Fish – 400 million years and it’s still wandering…
The Pacific lamprey has wormed its eel-like body through Earth’s waters for over 400 million years. The species survived mass extinctions, but slipped through the cracks of modern conservation efforts. Today, these fish are missing from most of their historic range in the Colombia River Watershed.
The lamprey has dietary and cultural significance in the traditions of the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Yakama and Warm Springs tribes. Members of these groups joined forces to form the Colombia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and partnered with the USFWS to produce The Lost Fish to call attention to the conservation issues Pacific lampreys’ face.
The Lost Fish, a documentary about several Northwest tribes’ efforts to save the Pacific lamprey in the Colombia River Basin, will screen at the Hatfield Marine Science Center’s Hennings Auditorium, Newport, on Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m.
The free showing is a small part of the annual COASTALearning Symposium the Oregon Coast Aquarium organizes to teach educators how to incorporate environmental literacy into their lesson plans. Following the film, a panel from the Colombia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will answer questions from the audience.
For more information about the showing and the COASTALearning Symposium click here.