Klamath

After decades of conflict, farmers and tribes say they’re working in concert to restore salmon habitat in the Klamath Basin. But two dams remain - one that blocks fish passage another that plays a key role for agriculture.

Will the restoration of Klamath River runs help restore California’s struggling salmon fishing industry?

By the end of the week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will have released 90,000 yearling coho as well as 400,000 Chinook salmon fry into the Klamath River.

The Klamath dam removal is uncovering painful history for the Shasta Indian Nation. But the tribe’s leaders also see a chance to recover some of their lost lands, restoring ceremony, language, and community in the process.

Klamath water interests are gearing up for a long-called-for reworking of roadmap for saving an endangered fish in a part of the arid Northwest where farmers need water for crop irrigation.

The Klamath Tribes say the agency and the management plan it works from doesn’t do enough to protect endangered fish in southern Oregon.

Low water flows on the upper Klamath River have caused the death of hundreds, possibly thousands of fish.

Klamath Basin farmers will likely have to wait several more weeks to start irrigating crops like garlic and onions, while water is held back for salmon.

Federal dam operators are asking to open the irrigation season next week in lieu of holding back water to benefit fish.

Higher salmon estimates for the Klamath and Rogue rivers may lead to a reopening of the ocean fishery this year.