$6 Million Awarded to Restore Spring Salmon in Klamath Basin
Tribal nations and Oregon officials will launch the Upper Basin’s first long-term spring Chinook reintroduction effort.
Map of the Klamath River basin (NOAA Fisheries)
KLAMATH BASIN — Federal agencies have awarded $6 million to support a major salmon restoration initiative in the Klamath Basin, funding the first long-term effort to reintroduce spring-run Chinook salmon to waters within The Klamath Tribes ancestral territory.
The funding was provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and NOAA Fisheries and will support a tribally led partnership involving The Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The project will allow The Klamath Tribes to establish up to 40 remote incubation sites in cold-water streams above Upper Klamath Lake. Funds will also help expand the Klamath Fish Hatchery near Chiloquin by adding four new raceways and improving water efficiency.
Once completed, hatchery improvements are expected to support the rearing of up to 600,000 fertilized salmon eggs and juvenile fish annually. Remote streamside incubation systems are planned for tributaries including the Williams, Sprague and Wood rivers, where colder water conditions can improve survival for young fish.
Klamath Tribes Chairman William Ray Jr. said the funding represents more than habitat restoration.
“We appreciate all of these partners coming together to bring the c’iyaal’s home to the Klamath Tribes in hopes that within the next generation we can re-establish a fishable population to feed our people, to heal our people,” Ray said.
He added that more than a century has passed since salmon were present in Upper Basin waters traditionally relied upon by the tribe.
Yurok Tribe Chairman Joseph L. James also praised the partnership.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with The Klamath Tribes and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to help bring spring salmon back,” James said.
Historically, the Klamath River system supported hundreds of thousands of spring-run Chinook salmon. In recent decades, those populations sharply declined or disappeared from many tributaries.
The project follows the recent removal of four dams on the Klamath River, a milestone many hope will help native fish return to historic habitat. While fall-run Chinook were observed moving upstream last season, spring-run Chinook have not yet returned in meaningful numbers to Upper Basin waters.
The hatchery expansion is expected to begin next year, with the first fish raised in 2028. Officials say the first adult spring salmon from the program could return to hatchery and remote incubation sites as early as 2030.
Project leaders said restoration will take time and depend on factors such as water conditions, weather patterns, ocean survival and annual river flows. Still, tribal leaders say the effort represents a historic step toward rebuilding both fish populations and cultural connections across the Klamath watershed.
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