First salmon in over a century return to Oregon’s Klamath Basin after dam removals
Salmon have officially returned to Oregon’s Klamath Basin for the first time in more than a century, months after the largest dam removal project in U.S. history freed hundreds of miles of the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the news on Oct. 17, a day after its fish biologists identified a fall run of Chinook salmon in a tributary to the Klamath River above the former J.C. Boyle Dam, the department said. The fish likely traveled 230 miles from the Pacific Ocean, officials said, after four dams were removed to ensure their safe passage. It’s the first confirmed salmon to return to the Klamath Basin since 1912, when the first of four hydroelectric dams was constructed along the river, the department said.
Related article:
- Nature World News: Salmon make historic return to Klamath Basin after dam removals