Snake River Chinook Salmon
Photo: Idaho Business Review
Protected by the Endangered Species Act since 2005
Snake River Chinook salmon are among the longest and highest-migrating salmon on the planet—often swimming 1,000 miles upstream and climbing more than 6,000 feet in elevation to reach their spawning grounds. More than 130 other species depend upon salmon, including orcas, bears, and eagles.
There has been a significant increase in the number of fall returns as a result of local and tribal efforts. The productivity of natural and hatchery-origin fall Chinook returns is still being evaluated. Local Indian and non-Indian fishers in the Snake River are experiencing a bounty unseen since the construction of the dams.
