During the summer and fall of 1998, adult Choctaws were interviewed, and classroom discussions were conducted. In addition, demographic, energy use and environmental awareness information was gathered using a pre-interview survey for adults, and a survey distributed to students attending the reservation's middle school and high school. Concepts regarding pollution reflected diverse value systems and definitions among residents as to what constitutes trash, contaminants and a degraded environment. Fisheries research was conducted on the Pearl River floodplain river ecosystem adjacent to and within the boundaries of the reservation. This ecosystem establishes culturally-important seasonal rhythms on the landscape, within which the Choctaws orient their interactions with fish and wildlife resources.
Flooding occurs primarily in the winter and spring.
Once concentrated, fish can be harvested efficiently. Through collaborative efforts with the Tribe's Department of Natural Resources, fish population assessments, environmental descriptions and patterns of exploitation by Choctaw fishers were combined to define the fisheries and formulate management orientations. Oxbow lakes located on the floodplain were studied during 1994 and 1998. Creel surveys were conducted during 1998 and 1999 to determine interactions between Choctaws and their fisheries resources. As floodplain river fisheries, exchanges of water, nutrients, organic materials and fishes between the river channel, overflow lands and backwaters during high-water periods are major determinants of fish population structure, composition and production.