More than 500,000 salmon will be released over two days from CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery into the Klamath River below the Iron Gate Dam

What: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), joined by Tribal leaders and fisheries experts from the Karuk Tribe, Yurok Tribe, the Shasta Indian Nation and the Quartz Valley Indian Rancheria, will release almost 100,000 yearling coho salmon and more than 400,000 Chinook salmon fry into the Klamath River from CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County over two days.

It is the first major release of coho salmon, a state and federally listed threatened species, into the Klamath River since the drawdown of the Klamath River reservoirs as part of the historic dam removal underway and a major milestone in the rebirth of a free-flowing, undammed Klamath River, which these salmon will return to as adults in a few years.

When: Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 10 a.m. to noon

Where: Iron Gate Fish Hatchery, 8638 Lakeview Road, Hornbrook, Calif., 96044

Who: Salmon and fisheries experts from CDFW, leaders from the Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Shasta Indian Nation and the Quartz Valley Indian Rancheria will be available for interviews.

More Info: The salmon release will be preceded by a Tribal blessing.

Contacts:
Peter Tira, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, (916) 215-3858.
Craig Tucker, Karuk Tribe, (916) 207-8294
Matt Mais, Yurok Tribe, (707) 954-0976