Dam Removal: A Hope for Salmon in the Klamath River

Introduction

When the world’s largest dam removal project on the Klamath River concludes this fall, the salmon will regain their access to 400 miles of historical spawning habitat that their species lost for more than a century because of the four hydroelectric dams built between 1908 and 1962. Scientists from the University of California, Davis, are studying the ear bones of fish to determine whether a diverse population of salmon will thrive once the dams are removed and the Klamath River restored.

The Significance of the Project

The Klamath project is important not just for the river but also for other dams worldwide that have outlived their usefulness. The removal of nearly 80 dams in the US was reported in 2023 alone while in 2028, a dam in Eel River is also slated to be removed, situated just a hundred miles south of Klamath.

The Role of UC Davis in the Project

UC Davis freshwater ecologist and assistant professor Robert Lusardi and his team are playing a crucial role in the dam removal project. According to Lusardi, “There’s nothing better we could do for fish and people in Northern California and throughout the world than to remove these dams. But if we don’t track and try to better understand how things are changing, we’re not going to understand their importance for future efforts.”

The Importance of the Klamath Tribes of Oregon

The four dams were the barrier to the salmon above and below the Yurok, Hoopa, and Karuk tribes and the Klamath Tribes of Oregon. With the dams’ removal, the river and its numerous species, including salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon, can reproduce and prosper once again. McCovey, the director of the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department, says, “The river is who we are. Without fisheries, without this river, we cease to be Hupa, Yurok and Karuk peoples.”

The Ecological and Cultural Impacts of the Dams

Reduced water quality and massive salmon declines were the results of dam construction. Chinook, once in abundance, reduced to less than 2% of pre-dam populations, and the spring-run Chinook are now rare due to the dams’ barriers, cutting them off from their cool and clean natural habitats. The tribes were rarely consulted in the history of American dam construction, which led to several situations of displacement, disruption, and infrastructure installation without native communities’ consent.

Undamming the Klamath

Dam removal seemed impossible until the deaths of 30,000 salmon in 2002 became the turning point, and the rallying cry to “undam the Klamath” rose. The dream became a reality when Federal Energy Regulatory Commission surrendered the four dams’ license and approved the decommissioning project in 2022. Demolition began in 2023, and Chinook salmon returns will be expected in the coming fall. The Klamath Basin residents have watched the reservoirs drain, billions of seeds that the Yurok planted along the basin bloom, and the river’s healing.

The Future of Salmon in the Klamath River and Beyond

California Trout’s Mount Shasta-Klamath regional director, Damon Goodman, said, “Being able to tell the story accurately so we can learn from it and refine what we do in the future. Science and data are a huge part of that.” Scientists hope the project will unlock how the life history of salmon can be improved, and the new habitats they are using as a map of strontium signals throughout the watershed will track the otolith of an individual fish using a technique created by Rachel Johnson.

The Legacy of the Project

McCovey believes

Originally Post From https://www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/salmon-diaries-before-after-klamath-dam-removal

The Salmon Diaries: Life Before and After Klamath Dam Removal UC Davis