Fish begin swimming in vital California river for the first time in 100 years

In a landmark environmental restoration effort, fish are now swimming freely in the Klamath River for the first time in more than a century, following the removal of two cofferdams at Iron Gate and Copco No. 1. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the Klamath River restoration project, the largest of its kind in American history.

The project, a collaboration between state, federal, and tribal partners, aims to dismantle four obsolete hydroelectric dams in California and Oregon that have long degraded water quality and devastated salmon populations in the Klamath Basin. With the river now returned to a free-flowing state, native fish species such as steelhead, coho, and Chinook salmon can access over 400 miles of newly reopened spawning and rearing habitat.

The project, a collaboration between state, federal, and tribal partners, aims to dismantle four obsolete hydroelectric dams in CaliforniaPhoto byNOAAonUnsplash