photo: A radio-tagged Chinook swims amongst Kokanee and Redband Trout in a spring-fed pool alongside Upper Klamath Lake. Courtesy of Paul Robert Wolf Wilson

 (Klamath) Tribes receive $6 million for Chinook recovery
 Herald and News by Lee Juillerat 4/22/26
   The Klamath Tribes plan to implement the first-ever large-scale reintroduction of Chinook salmon.
   The Bureau of Indian Affairs and NOAA Fisheries recently allocated $6 million in efforts do the reintroduction on what the Tribes say are “critically imperiled spring-run Chinook salmon within the Klamath Tribes’ ancestral territory.”
   The Tribes plan to establish up to 40 remote incubation sites in cold-water streams above Upper Klamath Lake. The money will also support the installation of four additional raceways and “increase water efficiency” at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Klamath Fish Hatchery near Chiloquin.
   Klamath Tribes Chairman William Ray Jr. said he believes the pass-through funds “will serve not only the Klamath Tribes but the entire ecosystem,” noting, “We appreciate all of these partners coming together to bring the c’ivaal’s (salmon) 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.”
   As Ray noted, “It has been over a hundred years since the Klamath Tribes have had c’iyaal’s in our waters. We have gone without and it has caused harm.”
   He said that although c’iyaal’s returned to the Klamath River’s headwaters last season, “There are still many hurdles to successful reintroduction, which requires investment like those provided through this initiative.”
   “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Klamath Tribes and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to bring spring salmon back,” said Joseph L. James, the Yurok Tribe’s chairman. “These funds will us work with our upriver neighbors to restore spring-run Chinook salmon to everyone’s benefit.”
   “This project highlights what can be accomplished when Tribes and the state work togethers with shared objectives,” said Debbie Colbert, ODFW director. “We sincerely appreciate the efforts of the Klamath Tribes and the Yurok Tribe in securing this grant.”
   According to the report, “Once built the new raceway — concrete structures to rear salmon — at the Klamath Fish Hatchery will the capacity to rear up to 600,000 fertilized salmon eggs and juvenile fish per year. The Klamath Tribes Ambodat Department will also provide personnel and expertise to raise thousands of eggs in streamside incubation systems (RSI) spread across spring fed tributaries above Upper Klamath Lake, including the Williamson, Sprague, and Wood rivers. The consistently cool water within these streams provides optimal conditions for baby salmon.”
   The report says the streamside incubation system will include secure tanks, spawning gravel, and plumbing equipment. “The highly effective remote site incubation systems enable thousands of salmon embryos to grow in natural stream water through early development, which allows the tiny fish to imprint on the unique scent and composition of the creek. Exposing baby fish to stream at such a young increases survival rates because the incubation units protect fish from predators, increase resilience, and inhibit domestication. As adults, the fish will rely on the specific odor and other cues to find their way back to these streams to spawn.”
   The Klamath River historically sustained several hundred thousand spring-run Chinook. Although four Klamath River dams have been removed, two still remain. The report notes, however, that “while fall-run Chinook surprised many as they it past the dams that remain (Keno and Link River), spring-run Chinook have not yet made it to the Klamath Tribes’ treaty-protected territory. However, with the successful natural hatching of wild fall-run Chinook, both tribes (Yurok and Klamath) are confident that there is a viable path to successfully restore these species.”
   Adult spring Chinook typically enter the river in April and May seeking, according to the report, “summer thermal refuge in cold groundwater dominated pools before spawning in early fall, surviving solely on ample fat stores for up to five months. There in minimal overlap with fall-run Chinook salmon, which spawn from late October to November.
   “The many tribes along the Klamath River,” the report notes, “have long considered ‘springers,’ spring run chinook, the best tasting salmon. These fish are inextricably connected to the cultures and identities of indigenous people throughout the watershed.”
   Because of the cultural importance, “The Yurok people have always had a traditional responsibility to let the first spring salmon pass to ensure upriver tribes were able to harvest enough and to allow plenty of fish to spawn.”
   The report also notes that, “Though encouraging, this represents only the beginning of a long path toward ecosystem restoration in the Klamath watershed. Native fish stock are expected to increase slowly and unevenly over time due to factors that affect run size, including annual precipitation, diversion levels, ocean conditions, and prevailing weather patterns.”
   The Klamath River Fish Hatchery expansion is scheduled to begin next with the first fish raised in 2028. The report says the first run of adult spring salmon “may return to the hatchery and remote incubation sites as early as 2030.”
   In conclusion, “The Klamath Tribes believe with coordinated efforts, restoration is not only possible but inevitable. Generations of ancestors have fought for this day, and now it is our responsibility to see it through.”