First Klamath River Salmon Reported In Oregon In 114 Years, Weeks After Remaining Dam Removals End
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – For the first time in 114 years, biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) have observed a fall-run Chinook salmon returning to spawning in the Klamath Basin in Oregon. On October 16, the ODFW documented this bright, beautiful fish in a tributary to the Klamath River, Spencer Creek, above the former J.C. Boyle Dam.
This is the first anadromous fish — a fish that migrates up rivers to spawn — to return to the Klamath Basin in Oregon since 1912 when the first of four PacifiCorp hydroelectric dams was constructed, blocking migration to historic habitat, according to an announcement from the ODFW. Hopefully, we will see the return of coho salmon and steelhead to the upper watershed soon.
Make no mistake about it — the dam removal couldn’t have happened without the protests, rallies, direct action and other efforts by Tribal members, environmentalists and fishermen over the past 20 years, including trips to Scotland when a Scottish corporation owned the dams and to Omaha, Nebraska after Warren Buffett bought the PacifICorp dams.
I have reported on the battle to restore the Klamath River in an array of publications since the 1990s — and was the lone journalist or one of the few journalists at some press conferences and events by the Tribes, environmentalists and fishermen when the movement for removing the dams began over 20 years ago. The return of salmon to Oregon waters is very welcome news to me. This salmon traveled over 230 miles from the Pacific Ocean to reach Spencer Creek only a few weeks after Klamath River dams were removed to ensure fish passage from California to Oregon.
EDIT
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/10/18/2277698/-First-salmon-since-1912-spotted-in-Oregon-s-Klamath-Basin-after-dam-removal-completed?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
= new reply since forum marked as read
Nature knows what to do. This is fantastic news!
My goodness, nobody and I mean nobody would be more proud of this than Mark Vann. Swam back upstream way to soon. I know he's sitting by a quiet stream somewhere picking this song away on "The Stump"! We did it Mark!!!!
Lyrics below if your not familiar...
Original Lyrics (Not in this order, it's Leftover Salmon after all
)
Fishy
Oh, fish
Where'd all the fish go?
You must ask the fish.
Do you know anything about the water?
Fishy?
You know what I'm saying?
Where'd all the fish go is what I wanna know
Fishy!
Might just have to ask the fish
Fishy!
Well ask the fish 'cause the fish he knows
Ask the fish why the water won't flow
Too many dams and docks in the rivers you know
The fish can't swim when the water don't flow
Fish fishy fish-eye view
He's a-looking at you
What's a fish gonna do
When rivers don't run through
Fishy asking you
What you gonna do
Ask the fish
'Cause I think he'll know
Used to be a river but it became a green
And I just wonder
what happened to the dream
Too many dams and docks you know
The fish can't swim when the river won't flow
I had a dream about a fish
And I wonder what it means
Dreamt I was a fish trying to get up stream
I wonder about the fish and I wonder what it means
When fish can't get home and I'm having fish dreams
Fish fishy take a fish-eye view
Fish fishy here's looking at you
You gotta question 'em too
Fish are talking to you
What's a fish gonna do
Gotta break on through
Adopt a fish-eye view
Ask the fish
Ask the fish and I think you'll know
Ask the fish why the water won't flow
Banks clogged with barges, dams and docks you know
Fish can't swim where the water don't go
Fish fishy take a fish-eye view
Fish fish is a-lookin' at you
Fish asking you to take a fish-eye view
Fishy
Ask the fish!
