salmon

Surplus then shortage, low weights, farm fish, imports, lower demand contribute to tangle of challenges.

Biologists from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and The Klamath Tribes have discovered several salmon in a tributary of the Klamath River in Oregon, above the site of four dams that were removed earlier this year.

The move to remove the dams marks a major victory for tribes in the region who fought for decades to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath River.

The weirs in Alaska’s rivers and elsewhere are crucial tools for managing fisheries.

The U.S. government recently recognized the harm caused by the dams and has promised to work to restore salmon runs but tribal members doubt much will change.

For the first time in more than a century, salmon will have free passage along the more than 400 miles of the Klamath River and its tributaries.

As salmon and steelhead swim upstream, they’re now facing one more challenge in fish ladders. It’s a non-native fish competing for space: the American shad.

The U.S. government has acknowledged the harmful effects dams have had on tribal fisheries. OPB reporter Tony Schick found that some of these actions were deliberate.

The new agreement will help manage the waterways for the next 20 years, with an emphasis on ecosystem improvement and collaboration with U.S. tribes and Canadian First Nations.

Size is a strength, and the economic value of the industry rose in 2021 and 2022, but employment is declining and recent price collapses are worrisome, the report says.