They collected the fish trapped at low tide, releasing the biggest egg-bearing females to continue up the river to spawn. They smoked, dried, or cooked the fish, buried the guts in the forest floor, and returned the bones to the waters to nourish the ecosystem. This practice enhanced the salmon populations and the productivity of the forests, rivers, and estuaries. The forests, rich with salmon, returned the favor by shading the rivers, shedding nutrients into the waters, and providing habitat for the bears, wolves, and eagles.
