Studying salmon before and after dam removal
When salmon return from the ocean to the Klamath River after the world’s largest dam removal project ends this fall, they will regain access to 400 miles of historical spawning habitat their species has been cut off from for more than a century. From the river to the lab, looking at the very ear bones of fish, scientists with the University of California, Davis, are playing a key role helping to answer a big dam question: Will it work? Will a diverse population of salmon thrive again once the dams are removed and the Klamath River restored? The answers are important not only for the Klamath but also for dams across the world that have outlived their usefulness. Less than 100 miles south of Klamath, for instance, is the Eel River, where a dam is slated to be removed in 2028. In 2023 alone, 80 dams were demolished across the U.S.
Related article:
- NBC News: ‘It represents a future’: Locals on restoring the ecosystem of the Klamath River
- Western Water Rewind: Scientists chart transformation of klamath river and its salmon amid nation’s largest dam removal project
- Klamath Water Users Association: KWUA urges leadership and immediate action to address critical water management issues in the Klamath Basin