The Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus), known as the c'waam (pronounced / tʃwɑːm / CHWAHM) by the Klamath Tribes, [5][6] is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is the only living member of the genus Deltistes. It is found only in California and Oregon.

Jul 3, 2021 · At almost 30 miles long, Upper Klamath Lake is the home to several types of fish that live only here. Two of them are called C’waam and Koptu in the Klamath Tribes’ traditional language or, in...

Dec 18, 2023 · The Klamath people stopped preparing c'waam and koptu as they once did—opting to batter and fry the fish instead of hanging it to dry. Children were sent to residential schools, where abuse was rampant and they were barred from speaking their own language.

Apr 1, 2024 · The USFWS has been releasing captive-reared wild juvenile Lost River (c’waam) and shortnose (koptu) suckers into Upper Klamath Lake since 2018. Construction on the expansion of the Klamath Falls National Fish Hatchery began in 2022 and is scheduled to be completed in 2026.

Nov 25, 2023 · Two species of fish are going into the tank: Koptu and C’waam, aka shortnose and Lost River suckers. The fish range in age and size, but all have reached a critical threshold, measuring at least...

Nov 1, 2024 · On Sept 26, citing “irreparable harm and damage to the Klamath Tribe’s culture, traditions and subsistence,” the Tribal council declared an emergency for the restoration of c’waam and koptu. A 75 percent decline in breeding fish over the last two decades, combined with an aging breeding stock of fish in Upper Klamath Lake, prompted the ...

Historically, suckers were harvested primarily by spear fishing and valued for their white, flaky, oily, and delicious meat. The Klamath Tribes stopped harvesting Koptu and C’waam in 1986, however, due to low numbers of fish. In the 2020s, the Klamath Tribes are working to restore sucker populations to harvestable numbers.

The Klamath Basin in southern Oregon is home to four species of sucker fish. Two of these “lake suckers”, the Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris), are listed as endangered.

May 11, 2023 · Ambodat is a Klamath Tribes’ facility involved in fish rearing of endangered c’waam and koptu, a water quality lab, a staff that conduct environmental monitoring for water quality and hydrology, and habitat restoration.

Jan 2, 2025 · Not only is the Keno Dam more complex than the Link River Dam, it didn’t come with any instructions when Pacific Power handed the keys over last summer. The fish ladders are also inadequate to meet migrating fish needs, and moreover, it …