Native American fishermen worked from platforms at Celilo Falls on Oregon's Columbia River. Salmon collected at the base of the falls and swim into hand-held nets or are gaffed as they looked for a way to negotiate the falls. The falls were covered when Bonneville Dam was built.
The work was not without risks: Consider landing a large flopping salmon with a net or gaff at the end of a fifteen-foot pole while standing on a damp, suspended plank above a boiling river! The man furthest to the left monitoring his net can be seen to have a safety line attached to his waist.
source: Oregon State Archives
Oregon Department of Transportation
ID: OHD1326
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