Chinook salmon return to Klamath River after dam removal
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Excavation crews in northern California removed four dams on the Klamath River in August 2024, opening up previously inaccessible areas for fish.
Researchers then observed that over 20,000 Chinook salmon migrated up the river in the two years following the dam removal. Many of these salmon travelled past the former dam locations and into areas they historically used for spawning. The dam removal also improved water quality in the river.
Reservoirs that previously experienced high temperatures and algae blooms reverted to natural river flows. Chinook salmon quickly began to repopulate their former habitat, regaining access to approximately 90 percent of their previous range. Other fish species, including coho salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey, also returned to the river within one year of the dams being breached.
