More than 1,000 people gathered in Oregon City on Thursday to celebrate one of Oregon’s oldest, strangest creatures: the Pacific lamprey.
Best known for their round, razor-toothed mouths, lamprey are an ancient, jawless fish that have been around for some 450 million years — predating even the dinosaurs. Lamprey are an important first food for Indigenous peoples of the lower Columbia River, who have been eating them along with salmon for generations.
Yakama Nation, one of several Pacific Northwest tribes that have traditionally harvested lamprey, held their fifth Willamette Falls Lamprey Celebration at Clackamette Park on Thursday. The event, which is an extension of the tribe’s traditional seasonal lamprey feast, is open to the public. This year, organizers received 1,200 RSVPs, they said, making it the biggest crowd yet…