rear wait for decades Two dams will be built on the Elwha River on Washington state's Olympic Peninsula to monitor salmon populations for another 10 years. Lower Elwha Clallam Tribe (LEKT) I was finally able to make a small ritual and earn a living. coho salmon fishery Last October. In the Pacific Northwest, the story of Elwha's return to coho salmon is telling, as other salmon populations struggle to survive due to the effects of climate change and human development. giving hope to local communities.
Several rivers flow into the Elfa River. glacier and Perpetual snow field Nestled in the Olympic Mountains, it is home to the salmon, lamprey, otters, and elk that have supported the region's indigenous people since time immemorial. The origin of the name „Elfa“ is Quileute A term used to describe the elk that are abundant on the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park.
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In the early 1900s, Hydroelectric power generation expands significantly In the Pacific Northwest, strong rivers can be turned into energy for emerging cities. Elwa was no exception. In 1913 Elwha Dam was completed eight miles upstream from the river's mouth, and in 1927 Glines Canyon Dam was completed eight miles upstream of him. Powers the nearby city of Port Angelesquickly became a logging hotspot after the hydroelectricity it generated was used to power pulp mills.
Unlike many other dams in the Pacific Northwest, the Elwha River dam Fish passage was not included To help salmon migrate upstream. As a result, the number of salmon returning from the ocean to spawn is 5 miles of habitatThis is just a portion of the 145 miles of riverine habitat along the main stream and tributaries that it previously occupied.This short section quickly It became unsuitable for salmon. The gravel and other sediment needed for nesting and spawning had accumulated behind the dam, and the area had few side channels or slow-flowing pools of water through which the fish could move.
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This situation led to the rapid destruction of the culturally and economically important salmon runs favored by indigenous peoples. Recto We have been trusted throughout our long history in this region. Elpha sockeye salmon is now extinctand populations of six other fish species remain endangered or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
But in the 20th century, public opinion about dams began to change.of Establishment of Olympic National Park In 1938, conservation efforts and awareness increased. Salmon population plummets.of Build a small hydroelectric power facility in a nearby non-salmon river. The importance of hydroelectric power produced by other dams has also declined.These changes Parallel national trendsdam opposition has increased significantly since the mid-1980s.
In 1992, Congress passed the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act, authorizing the removal of dams to restore salmon populations and the Elwha River ecosystem. The federal government then spent years assessing the environmental impacts of different types of removals and putting together funding and incentives.The dam is finally deleted Between 2011 and 2014, and Fish populations are gradually recoveringfacilitated by restoration efforts by LEKT, the National Park Service, and local nonprofit organizations.
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Last October, LEKT exercised its treaty rights to harvest salmon from the Elwha River for the first time in more than a decade.previous 1974 Court Decision Tribes established that they had the right to fish and hunt in all areas.usual, familiar placeBut LEKT first invested time and money into salmon restoration projects, monitoring the fish until numbers reached sustainable levels.
„We were able to feed people spiritually. Because that's what eating fish means to us, it's part of our religion, we're salmon people. .”
Vanessa Castle, Lower Elwha Clallam Tribe
Vanessa Castle, LEKT member and tribal natural resource engineer, explained the decision in an interview with GlacierHub: Salmon has always supported us. ”
Last fall, LEKT observed that the coho salmon population was finally healthy enough to capture small numbers to feed the tribe. On October 9, 2023, the tribe held a celebration on the banks of the Elwha River with singing, dancing, and prayers by the tribal community before officially opening the fishery.
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More than 100 tribal members registered for tribal-issued permits on the first day, and the fishery continued until 177 coho (of the 7,000 expected to be returned) were caught. Families brought their children to fish for salmon in the Elwha River for the first time in their lives.
Mr. Castle emphasized the grandeur of the day, saying, „I could feel the people's expectations (for the fishing industry).''
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The wider impact of this fishery
In addition to the immense spiritual value of the Elwha River coho salmon fishery for LEKT, it also provided a story that could inspire other dam removal projects in the Pacific Northwest aimed at restoring salmon populations.
In January, the crew violated Last Four dams scheduled for removal Construction work continues on the Klamath River in Oregon and California to restore the watershed to free-flowing form.The Klamath Basin has been seen mass death of fish and Salmon population decline This is because dams have exacerbated poor water conditions caused by drought over the past several decades. Seeing salmon returning to the Elwha River gives hope to Klamath River communities working to rebuild their populations.
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In the Pacific Northwest, many Salmon populations are struggling Glaciers are shrinking, water temperatures are rising, and river habitat is deteriorating. However, despite research showing that The Olympic Peninsula has lost extensive glaciers. and already suffering Deterioration of water quality, Elwha River salmon populations are improving after dam removal and restoration efforts. Still, the Chinook salmon population is not yet at a sustainable level to allow fishing to begin, and much work will be needed. Collaboration and partnership with First Nations and river management agencies will continue to be essential to returning salmon to sustainable levels.
The story of the Elwha River coho conveys an important message. Land use change and restoration of critical river habitat will help protect and recover salmon in the face of looming climate change. Removal of Elfa Dam was a long and difficult process, but improving salmon numbers and restoring LEKT's coho shark fishery shows that land use change is a key element in the fight to protect ecosystems, fish, and people. It shows that.