In the Pacific Northwest, salmon declines upend a way of life
Every spring and fall, Chinook salmon make their way from the Pacific Ocean into the Klamath River, in Northern California. Historically, their black-speckled bodies would swim upstream, around the Cascade and Klamath mountain range and into the Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon, before spawning in its major tributaries. Since time immemorial, local tribes—the Klamath, Karuk, Hoopa Valley, and Yurok—fished these waters. The Chinook formed a vital part of the tribes’ culture, economy and food security. Since the early 20th century, Chinook salmon numbers in the Klamath River—once the third-largest salmon-producing river in the United States—have fallen by more than 90 percent, according to federal statistics.