Salmon were fully blocked from the Upper Columbia in 1942. The Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUTs) are leading the effort to reintroduce non-ESA listed salmon to the Upper Columbia.
Salmon were first blocked from part of the Upper Columbia Basin in 1910 when the construction of Little Falls Dam blocked returning adult salmon from reaching the Spokane River watershed. Salmon were fully blocked from the Upper Columbia in 1942 when Grand Coulee Dam construction was completed, followed by the 1955 completion of Chief Joseph Dam a short distance downstream.
In 2015, the U.S. Columbia Basin Tribes and Canadian First Nations developed a joint paper describing how salmon can be reintroduced into the Upper Columbia River Basin.
In 2019, the Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUTs) completed a Phase 1 salmon reintroduction report that was favorably reviewed by the Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB). The report concluded that non-ESA donor stocks are available; reintroduction can occur based on current dam/reservoir operations; the disease risks identified are manageable; sufficient habitat and other conditions exist to support their life cycle; and that technology exists to move adult and juvenile fish past Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams.
In 2021, the UCUTs released a 21-year Phase 2 Implementation Plan (P2IP) to reintroduce salmon above Chief Joseph, Grand Coulee, and Spokane River dams. Non-ESA listed Summer/fall Chinook and Sockeye are the focus of reintroduction efforts. The expanse of the vision includes potentially opening nearly 1,200 river miles of habitat.
In 2023, $200 million dollars over 20 years plus additional federal and state dollars were pledged to pursue salmon reintroduction.
Visit the UCUTs salmon reintroduction website and Forum salmon reintroduction news stories to stay abreast of developments, including cultural and educational releases.
