Dam removals restore fish in northeastern US
The gist
Smithsonian Magazine published an article on dam removals bringing fish back across the northeastern United States.
The piece follows a Klamath study where Chinook salmon recolonized 88% of known habitat.
How it unfolded
- 2024Four dams were removed from the Klamath River, allowing Chinook salmon to recolonize habitat unavailable to them for roughly a century.
- 2025More than 13,000 Chinook salmon migrated up the Klamath River past the former dams, up from 7,742 shortly after removal.
- Oct 12, 2026Mongabay reported a study finding Chinook salmon returned to historical habitat after removal of four US dams.