Slockish, Wilbur J., Jr., 1944-
Biographical note
Wilbur J. Slockish, Jr., hereditary chief of the Klickitat Band of the Yakama Nation, was born in Wapato, Washington, on the Yakama Reservation, in 1944. As a child, Slockish fished at Celilo Falls, and throughout his life, he defended Native fishing rights reserved by treaty and advocated for environmental stewardship. In 1983, Slockish was one of multiple Native fishermen prosecuted after a federal-state sting operation that became known as "Salmonscam." After selling salmon caught under ceremonial use permits to undercover federal agents, the fishermen were accused of poaching fish that were later found in tributaries. Convicted in U.S. District Court, Slockish served 20 months in prison. After his release, he focused on water quality and salmon conservation, serving on the Bi-State Water Quality Commission for the Lower Columbia, on the Hanford Health Effect Subcommittee, and on the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Slockish in his interview; “Native American chief shot at, imprisoned for fishing in the Columbia River,” by the Associated Press, August 16, 2022 (accessed February 2026), https://www.kptv.com/2022/08/16/native-american-chief-shot-imprisoned-fishing-columbia-river/. ; "Wilbur Slockish, Jr.," Bringing the Salmon Home website, 2022 (accessed February 2026), https://columbiariversalmon.ca/bio/wilbur-slockish-jr/; "Oregon Voices: Johnny Jackson and Wilbur Slockish, Jr.," Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 108, No. 4 (Winter 2007), pages 706-716; "30 years after 'salmon scam' trial, David Sohappy is still on the river," by Phil Ferolito, Yakima Herald-Republic, April 22, 2017 (accessed February 2026), https://www.yakimaherald.com/30-years-after-salmon-scam-trial-david-sohappy-is-still-on-the-river/article_5dc2f63e-27d6-11e7-9b2f-276b99f27bf6.html; "Salmon Scam," Northwest Power and Conservation Council website (undated, accessed February 2026), https://www.nwcouncil.org/reports/columbia-river-history/salmonscam/; "David Sohappy (1925-1991), by Andrew Fisher, Oregon Encyclopedia, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/sohappy_david_1925_1991_/
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Oral history interview with Wilbur Slockish, Jr.
Oral history interview with Wilbur Slockish, Jr., conducted by Michael O’Rourke on February 11, 2000, as part of the Columbia River Dissenters Oral History Series. Slockish discusses his prosecution and incarceration after a federal-state sting operation that became known as "Salmonscam," talks about proposals to store nuclear waste on tribal lands, and shares his thoughts about the causes for the decline in fish and wildlife populations in the Columbia River Basin over the 20th century.