Salmon Return to Klamath River After Historic Dam Removal
For the first time in over a century, salmon are swimming freely in the Klamath River and its tributaries following the completion of the largest dam removal project in US history, The Associated Press reports.
Researchers confirmed that Chinook salmon began migrating on October 3 into previously inaccessible habitat above the site of the former Iron Gate dam, one of four dams demolished in a landmark effort to restore the river’s natural flow and ecosystem.
“It’s been over one hundred years since a wild salmon last swam through this reach of the Klamath River,” said Damon Goodman, regional director of California Trout. “This is a momentous occasion, the culmination of decades of work by our Tribal partners. We are humbled to witness the salmon returning home.”
The dam removal project, completed on October 2, marks a significant victory for local tribes who fought tirelessly to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath from the constraints of the hydroelectric dams. Through protests, testimony, and lawsuits, the tribes highlighted the environmental devastation caused by the dams, particularly their impact on salmon populations.
Scientists will use sonar technology to track migrating fish, including Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and steelhead trout, throughout the fall and winter.
The Klamath River was once renowned as the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast. However, the construction of four dams between 1918 and 1962 by power company PacifiCorp disrupted the river’s natural flow, severely impacting the life cycle of salmon, which depend on upstream migration for spawning.
The fish population plummeted, reaching a crisis point in 2002 when a bacterial outbreak caused by low water and warm temperatures killed over 34,000 fish, primarily Chinook salmon. This event fueled decades of advocacy from tribes and environmental groups, ultimately culminating in the approval of a dam removal plan by federal regulators in 2022.
The successful removal of the Klamath River dams joins a growing movement in the US to restore rivers and revitalize their ecosystems. As of February, over 2,000 dams had been removed in the country, with the majority occurring in the last 25 years.
