Thursday June 1, 2023
Capital Press —
A team of researchers is testing the waters to revive chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath Basin.
In April, biologists released about 8,000 smolts in the Wood and Williamson rivers above Upper Klamath Lake as part of an ongoing experiment tracking their movement using tiny acoustic tags and passive integrated transponders, or PIT tags.
Mark Hereford, Klamath Fisheries reintroduction coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the goal is to find out how these fish navigate the lake and its tributaries as they migrate to the Pacific Ocean.
The project comes in anticipation of removing four hydroelectric dams on the lower Klamath River in 2024.
“We’re trying to mimic a hypothetical out-migration of chinook salmon,” Hereford said.