
West Coast salmon anglers and native tribes are watching fish return to places in California and Oregon that have been devoid of salmon and steelhead for decades as the Klamath River dam removal re-opened access to roughly 420 miles of spawning and rearing habitat in the now free-flowing upper river. On Oct. 16, Oregon officials spotted chinook salmon swimming there for the first time in 112 years. By month end, the Yurok Tribe had recorded more than 100 chinook spawning and even a few steelhead in the upper river. “The return of our relatives, the c’iyaal’s [salmon], is overwhelming for our tribe,” said Klamath Tribes Secretary Roberta Frost. “The salmon are just like our tribal people, and they know where home is and returned as soon as they were able.”
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