A New York Times article from last year. I’ve mentioned this story in various places. A First Nation on the Sacramento River is traveling to New Zealand to invite wild salmon back. Many years ago, Chinook eggs from the Sacramento River were taken to southern New Zealand.

They took… and now southern New Zealand has an active Chinook sport fishery – and the Sacramento…?

SAN FRANCISCO — On Friday night, more than two dozen Native Americans embarked from here on a spiritual mission to New Zealand, where they will ask their fish to come home to California.

The unusual journey centers on an apology, to be relayed to the fish on the banks of the Rakaia River through a ceremonial dance that tribal leaders say has not been performed in more than 60 years.

The fish in question is the Chinook salmon, native to the Pacific but lately in short supply in the rivers of Northern California, home to the Winnemem Wintu — a tiny, federally unrecognized and poor tribe supported by some Social Security payments, a couple of retirement plans and the occasional dog sale…

read more at the Times.