After dam removal, Washington state tribe fishes for salmon on Elwha River for first time in more than a century
By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
Nation of Change
October 17, 2023
For the first time in more than a hundred years, members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are fishing for coho salmon on the free-flowing river.
The people of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe of Washington State have lived in the Lower Elwha River Valley and its neighboring bluffs on the Olympic Peninsula since time immemorial.
The community is based around the Elwha River, which provides water and sustenance in the form of salmon fishing. More than a century ago, two dams were placed on the Elwha, blocking almost 90 miles of the river and its tributaries, reported The Seattle Times.