Adult salmon makes historic swim in the upper Columbia River

By Rachael Lesosky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Valley Voice It’s a big win for an Indigenous-led salmon reintroduction initiative: an adult female sockeye salmon was spotted in a creek north of Castlegar, the first recorded return to an Arrow Lakes spawning tributary in over 85 years. Bringing the Salmon Home: The Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative is a collaboration between the Syilx Okanagan Nation, Secwépemc Nation, and Ktunaxa Nation, in partnership with British Columbia and Canada. After six years of efforts, salmon are finally swimming again in the upper Columbia River. Last summer, the technical team translocated 57 adult sockeye from the Okanagan, releasing them into the Arrow Lakes Reservoir. These special fish are the first adult sockeye to freely swim in the Arrow Lakes since 1938, when salmon were…

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