Wild Salmon River Restoration Welfare

Pacific and Atlantic salmon depend on clean, connected rivers for spawning and juvenile development. River restoration that removes barriers and improves water quality directly improves salmon welfare and survival.

Key Facts

Dams have eliminated salmon from 40% of their historical range in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
The Klamath River dam removal project (completed 2024) is the largest dam removal in US history, restoring 400 miles of habitat
Adult salmon returning to spawn rely on olfactory memory of their birth stream, blocked by dams and degraded by pollution
Elevated water temperatures from climate change cause physiological stress and death in salmon migrating through warm rivers
Riparian tree planting shades streams, reduces temperature, and provides organic matter that supports juvenile salmon food webs

Welfare Considerations

Individual salmon attempting to migrate past impassable dams experience physiological stress from blocked instinct and are sometimes killed attempting passage through fish ladders. Temperature stress in warming rivers causes immune suppression, disease susceptibility, and mortality for fish that evolved in cold water. River restoration that removes dams, plants riparian vegetation, and reduces agricultural runoff directly improves conditions for millions of individual salmon. The welfare of salmon during their remarkable migrations is improved by every kilometer of connected, cool, clean river habitat restored.

What You Can Do

Support dam removal campaigns on rivers important to salmon recovery
Plant native riparian vegetation along streams to shade water and reduce temperature stress
Advocate for stricter water temperature standards in salmon-bearing rivers
Donate to watershed restoration organizations working on the highest-priority salmon recovery streams