For the first time since 1912, salmon are returning to Oregon’s Klamath Basin

Following the removal of dams along the Klamath River earlier this year, fall-caught Chinook salmon have eagerly returned to the Oregon portion of the Klamath Basin after they were recently spotted there for the first time in 112 years.

The first salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was discovered by biologists with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), who identified the fish on October 16 in a tributary of the Klamath River in southern Oregon, above the site of the former John C. Boyle Dam.

“The day before, we saw a large fish rise to the surface in the Klamath River, but we only saw a dorsal fin,” Mark Hereford, ODFW Klamath fisheries restoration project manager, said in a statement. “I thought, was that a salmon or maybe a very large rainbow trout?”

When Hereford and the team returned the next day, their suspicions were confirmed—several Chinook salmon had indeed returned to the river basin. Not just in Oregon; On October 15, spawning Chinook salmon were spotted in the Klamath tributaries, California, in habitat previously blocked by the Iron Gate Dam since 1961.

As for the salmon found in Oregon, the ODFW believes they likely traveled about 370 kilometers (230 miles) from the Pacific Ocean to get there.

Such a trip has only recently become possible.

Back in January 2024, officials were in the middle of a massive project to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River that were originally built between 1911 and 1962.

The construction of the dams led to a significant decline in wild fish populations, including salmon – not only was their path physically blocked, but the lack of water flow also led to the spread of toxic algae and disease.

This decline in the river’s salmon and other fish stocks has had a significant impact on indigenous peoples, for whom the fish is both an important source of food and part of their culture.

After years of efforts by indigenous peoples and environmentalists to remove the dams, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission officially announced decommissioning of the dams in 2022. The last of the four dams was demolished at the end of August 2024.

The return of Chinook salmon to the Klamath Basin in the nearly two months since has been welcomed by those who fought to remove the dams.

“The return of our relatives, the C’iyaal, is overwhelming for our tribe. This is what our members have worked for and believed in for so many decades,” said Roberta Frost, Secretary of the Klamath Tribes.

“I want to recognize this work and thank them for their perseverance in the face of a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. The salmon are just like our tribal people, they know where their home is and returned as soon as they were able.”