The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has released a comprehensive 60-page plan to guide the reintroduction and monitoring of key fish species, including Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey, in a newly undammed Klamath River. This comes after the removal of the last two barriers at the former Iron Gate and Copco No. 1 dam sites, making the river free-flowing for the first time in over a century.
The primary goal of the “Klamath River Anadromous Fishery Reintroduction and Restoration Monitoring Plan” is to establish sustainable populations of these species to support ecological balance and benefit Tribal, commercial, and recreational fisheries. The plan emphasizes a natural recolonization strategy, allowing these ocean-going fish species to access approximately 420 miles of newly available spawning and rearing habitats.
