For the first time since 1961, fall-run Chinook salmon are returning to the upper reaches of the Klamath River, marking a major milestone in California’s largest dam removal project.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed that adult Chinook salmon have been observed spawning in newly accessible habitat behind the former Iron Gate Dam.
On October 15, spawning fall-run Chinook were spotted in Jenny Creek, a Klamath River tributary located 4.3 miles upstream from the former dam site. This comes just weeks after the final fish barrier at Iron Gate Dam was breached on September 26. The salmon were also seen returning to Fall Creek, a previously inaccessible tributary, and CDFW’s newly rebuilt Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, located 7.5 miles upstream…