KLAMATH, Calif. — For the first time in over a century, salmon have been spotted in tributaries of the Klamath River in Oregon. It’s a positive sign for wildlife officials after the removal of four aging hydroelectric dams along the river just weeks ago.
These are among the first anadromous fish to return to the Oregon part of the Klamath Basin since the early 1900s. An anadromous fish lives between fresh and saltwater, migrating from the ocean to freshwater for spawning.
That migration for Chinook salmon was blocked by the installation of four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River: The Iron Gate dam, the Copco 1 and Copco 2 dams, and the J.C. Boyle dam…