Okanagan Nation Alliance, Fisheries 

Ryan Benson is a member of Kainai (Blood Tribe), part of the Blackfoot Confederacy of Southern Alberta and Northern Montana.  Ryan has lived in Syilx Territory (Okanagan) for over 14 years and is married to Carrie, a Nation Member from the Lower Similkameen Indian Band.  They are currently raising their two daughters and one son in Syilx traditional territory.

Currently, Ryan works as a Fisheries Biologist with the Okanagan Nation Alliance Fisheries Department.  He is the Skaha Lake Sockeye Re-introduction Program Coordinator and Manager of ONA Fisheries Department’s Stock Assessment Group. 

He received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Lethbridge and a Master of Science from the University of Montana. 

Ryan has over 19 years of experience in the fisheries field and has worked with diverse species such as Sockeye, Chinook, and Coho Salmon, kokanee, various trout species, Pacific Lamprey, and Green Sturgeon.  He has worked in various geographical locations across the continent including Northern and Southern Alberta, Montana, Northern California, and the BC Interior. 

Ryan has a passion for Salmon restoration in Syilx Territory and for integrating Western Science and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) world views.

Email:  RBenson@syilx.org