Tribe catches coho salmon on free-flowing Elwha River, a first since dam removals
With the plonk of fishing tackle in clear, green water, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s first fishery on a free-flowing river in more than a century got underway. … Two dams blocked nearly 90 miles of river and tributary habitat on the Elwha, or more than 90% of the river, since 1911. But both the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams were gone by August 2014 after a couple of years of demolition in what was the largest dam removal project ever undertaken. And on Monday, the wait for a run of salmon healthy enough to be fished was over. … The Elwha has been a source of inspiration for dam removals elsewhere, including on the Klamath River in Northern California. That project is now underway, and will take the place of the Elwha as the largest ever dam removal in the world.
Related articles:
- California Fisheries Blog: American River salmon – Fall 2023
- Daily Yonder: A journey to Salmon River
