Salmon swim freely in river for the first time in 100 years after dam removal project: 'I am incredibly humbled to witness this'For the first ti...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
For the first time in more than a century, salmon are swimming freely along the Klamath River and its tributaries, just days after the largest dam removal project in US history was completed.
Researchers determined that Chinook salmon began migrating on 3 October into previously inaccessible habitat above the site of the former Iron Gate dam, one of four towering dams near the California-Oregon border that were demolished as part of a national movement to let rivers return to their natural flow and to restore ecosystems for fish and other wildlife.
“It’s been over 100 years since a wild salmon last swam through this reach of the Klamath River,” said Damon Goodman, a regional director for the non-profit conservation group California Trout. “I am incredibly humbled to witness this moment and share this news, standing on the shoulders of decades of work by our Tribal partners, as the salmon return home.”
The dam removal project was completed on 2 October, marking a major victory for local tribes that fought for decades to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath. Through protests, testimony and lawsuits, the tribes showcased the environmental devastation caused by the four hydroelectric dams, especially to salmon.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/07/salmon-klamath-river-california-oregon
Taxonomy
- Dams