Indigenous peoples and Native American tribes inhabiting the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and regions along major river basins relied upon salmon as a foundational dietary, cultural, and spiritual cornerstone for thousands of years before European contact. Tribes executed sophisticated harvesting techniques—such as constructing wooden weir traps, utilizing dip nets, and building platform scaffolds near rushing waterfalls—to catch massive seasonal runs. The captured salmon was preserved through traditional smoking, drying, and pemmican-making methods, sustaining communities through harsh winters and forming the core of regional potlatch ceremonies and oral histories.