User:Rcophone/Chinook salmon

Pacific Coast
In an effort to restore the fish habitat of the Klamath River, four dams on the Klamath (Iron Gate Dam, Copco No 2 Dam, Copco No 1 Dam, and John C. Boyle Dam) will be removed by the end of 2024. Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), who is in charge of the operation, cited the adverse effects of the dams on fish survivability and the blockage of fish habitat as major reasons for removal. In June 2023, Copco 2 Dam was torn down. In addition to dam removal, KRRC is also conducting efforts to revegetate certain areas in the watershed with trees and native grasses. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife(ODFW), in cooperation with members of the Klamath and Yurok tribes, also finalized a two-phase plan to re-establish wild Chinook and other anadromous fishes in the Upper Klamath Basin. As of December 2022, the plan is in its monitoring phase, in which ODFW are studying 10,000 hatchery-born spring-run Chinook released in certain tributaries of Upper Klamath Lake.

Cultural Aspects
The Chinook salmon is spiritually and culturally prized among certain First Nations peoples. For tribes on the Northwest coast, salmon were an important part of their culture for spiritual reasons and food. Many celebrate the first spring Chinook caught each year with "first-salmon ceremonies." While salmon fishing in general remains important economically for many tribal communities, it is especially the Chinook harvest that is typically the most valuable. The relation to salmon for the tribes in this area is similar to how other tribes relied more on buffalo for food, and have many legends and spiritual ties to them.

Chinook salmon were described and enthusiastically eaten by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Lewis wrote that, when fresh, they tasted better than any other fish he had ever eaten. They did not particularly like dried or "pounded" salmon. Lewis and Clark knew about Pacific salmon but had never seen one. The Western world had known about Pacific salmon since the late 18th century. Maritime fur traders and explorers, such as George Vancouver, frequently acquired salmon by trade with the indigenous people of the Northwest coast. Lewis and Clark first encountered Chinook salmon as a gift from Chief Cameahwait, on August 13, 1805, near Lemhi Pass. Tasting it convinced Lewis they had crossed the continental divide.

In Oregon, many Native American tribes, including the Klamath tribes and the Yurok Tribe, have lived along the Klamath river, and the Chinook salmon have been an important part of their lives, spiritually and physically. An Indian legend of a tribe on the Klamath river describes how the construction of the dam has hurt the fish population and that the impact on them has gone unnoticed, and the destruction of the dam is what has brought back their food supply and made them happy again. The Klamath tribe had a similar legend that has illustrated the importance of not messing up the Chinook salmon migration. The legend described three Skookums which can be related to the three dams on the Klamath river in California. It has been known that the creation of dams has negatively impacted the lives of many Native American Indians by disrupting their food supply and the flow of water. The impact on the salmon migration has been seen by not only tribal members but others as well, and as a result, progress is slowly being made to help restore the salmon habitats along the river. Many tribes, including the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Yurok Tribe, and the Shasta Indian Nation, voiced support for the removal of dams on the Klamath River. Representatives of the Shasta Indian Nation claimed that the construction of Copco No 1 Dam caused the submerging of sites significant to them, including burial grounds. Un-Dam the Klamath, supported by the Karuk and Yurok Tribes, is one of the major campaigns advocating for the Klamath dam removals, which started deconstruction in 2023.

Other tribes, including the Nuxalk, Kwakiutl, and Kyuquot, relied primarily on Chinook to eat. Known as the "king salmon" in Alaska for its large size and flavorful flesh, the Chinook is the state fish of this state, and of Oregon.