Salmon have flourished since California dam removal. But some may be swimming too far
With the removal of four dams on the Klamath River, salmon are making tremendous progress on their migration upstream, reaching new, previously inaccessible waters along the California-Oregon border. In some cases, however, they may be making too much progress. This month, workers at the Klamath Drainage District observed chinook salmon in their irrigation complex, a grid of canals and ditches that forks off the river near Klamath Falls, Ore., nearly 250 miles from the river’s mouth. The fear is that these far-roaming fish will get caught in the irrigation water as it’s doled out to farms and swept onto dry land amidst the alfalfa, potatoes and grains.
Other salmon news:
- CapRadio (Sacramento, Calif.): Culture and abundance: How should California bring back its ‘salmon society?’
- Oregon Wild: Blog: Resilience and hope for the Klamath River
