Joe Oatman
Manager, Department of Fisheries
Resources Management
Nez Perce Tribe
Joe Oatman is a Nez Perce tribal member and the Manager of the Tribe’s Department of Fisheries Resources Management. Joe received a Bachelor of Science in Fishery Resources and a Masters of Natural Resources from the University of Idaho. He comes from the Chief Looking Glass Band of the Nez Perce and is a descendent of A-Pus-Wyekt (Flint Necklace, also known as Chief Looking Glass), one of the tribal leaders who signed the Treaty of 1855. Joe’s family, people, land and reserved treaty rights are very important to who Joe is and what he does.
The Tribe’s Department of Fisheries Resources Management conducts vital work for the benefit of both the Nez Perce people and the broader Pacific Northwest. The Department is committed to restoring fish populations, protecting tribal fishing rights and tribal fishing, and ensuring the continued health of the region’s waterways.