Fishing It is difficult to overestimate the importance that fishing had in the life of Coast Salish people. Fish, especially salmon, was a central part of the diets of all the Coast Salish peoples. A variety of methods of catching fish were used, depending on what type of fish was sought and where the fishing was done. On shallow rivers, such as the Cowichan River, weirs were built to trap the fish as they tried to go upstream. On deeper rivers, such as the Fraser River near Yale, people strung nets across the river or used dip nets to scoop the fish out of the river. Today, Coast Salish people participate in commercial fishing using large, expensive boats, while still using older methods in some instances. See some pictures of some of the fishing methods used by Coast Salish people