Innovations at the Falls

Dipnetting to catch fish is a sacred act and one that many Native communities have been practicing since time immemorial at places like Willamette Falls. Dipnetting most often happens from fishing platforms, whose engineering techniques have been handed down for generations.

Land and Water Restoration

The Willamette River is home to many fish, including salmon and steelhead, and the creation of the first artificial fish passage at the Falls in the late 19th century allowed fish to continue their seasonal migration while industrialization occurred around the site.

The state of Oregon is home to several types of lamprey, including the Pacific lamprey, that return from the ocean in the summer months to Willamette Falls. The fish enhance the health of Willamette Falls at both ends of their life cycle—they clean upstream bed sediment and recycle nutrients. Lamprey are culturally important to Native communities for food, medicine and ceremony and the Falls are the best remaining site in Oregon to harvest the fish.