LAPWAI, ID – On March 18, 2025, the Nez Perce Tribe announced the appointment of Joseph Y. Oatman as Manager of the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resources Management (“DFRM”).
Oatman replaces Dave Johnson who is retiring after serving as Manager for over two decades and working for the Nez Perce Tribe in various roles for nearly 40 years. Joe an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a long-time leader within the DFRM, steps into the position having served as DFRM Deputy Manager and Director of the department’s Harvest Division since 2007.
The DFRM is one of the largest and most successful tribal fisheries programs in the United States. With nearly 200 employees, an annual budget exceeding $30 million, and a work area spanning north-central Idaho, northeastern Oregon, and southeastern Washington—traditional Nez Perce homelands—the department has been instrumental in restoring Columbia Basin salmonids and upholding the Tribe’s treaty-protected fishing rights. Recognized by federal and state fisheries co-managers, land management agencies, hydropower system entities, other tribes, and the public, the department plays a crucial role in restoring fisheries resources across the Pacific Northwest.
Key achievements of the DFRM include managing two hatcheries, co-managing one of the largest federal hatcheries, and releasing 12 million salmon and steelhead annually across multiple acclimation sites. These efforts have significantly bolstered populations of critical species, including Snake River fall Chinook, whose returns have increased from just 300 to 80,000. Similarly, coho salmon—once extirpated from the Snake River Basin—have rebounded to over 10,000, supporting both treaty and non-tribal harvests.
The DFRM has also pioneered large-scale watershed restoration, addressing the long-term impacts of logging, road construction, and mining. A unique partnership with the U.S. Forest Service has enabled the decommissioning of logging roads, removal of culverts to restore fish passage, replanting of riparian areas, reformation of streams once degraded by mining activities, and commitment to improve watershed health by restoring vital marine nutrient transport into interior habitats.
Dave Johnson, a Navajo Tribal member, said “I’ve had the highest honor of being on the ground floor of this nationally recognized, award-winning program. We’ve been able to show that respect, care and dependency on the natural environment, along with a time-immemorial sense of place, make tribally run programs indispensable to our country’s management of its natural resources. Working for the Nez Perce Tribe and its fisheries staff has been the best career anyone could wish for”.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dave Johnson for his years of dedicated service to the Nez Perce Tribe and the Nez Perce people. His unwavering commitment and advocacy to protect our precious life sources, including the Chinook salmon have made a lasting impact,” stated Shannon F. Wheeler, Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee. “As he embarks on a well-earned retirement, we wish him all the best in this new chapter. At the same time, we are confident that his successor, Mr. Oatman, will continue this important work by relying upon his lived experiences with salmon and salmon fishing, and the emphasis he will bring to restoring fish runs to support the needs of the Nez Perce people.”
“I am humbled by this opportunity my Tribe has given me to lead our Fisheries Department. I come from a family and tribal community who fishes for salmon and other fish. Salmon is our food and our economy. The health and well-being of our tribal fishers and their families depends upon the annual returns of salmon. I am committed to protecting, managing and enhancing our fishery resources for the current and future generations,” said Oatman.
Under Oatman’s leadership, the DFRM remains committed to its mission: restoring fish populations, protecting tribal fishing rights and tribal fishing, and ensuring the continued health of the region’s waterways. With a legacy of success and a clear vision for the future, the department will continue its vital work for the benefit of both the Nez Perce people and the broader Pacific Northwest.
