Chinook Salmon Return to McCloud River After Nearly a Century
An endangered species reappears in Northern California, but the journey back to full recovery remains uphill.
In a striking development for environmental and Indigenous restoration efforts, adult winter-run Chinook salmon have been confirmed in the McCloud River in Northern California for the first time in nearly 100 years, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
The landmark discovery, captured on video by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, shows a female Chinook guarding her nest of eggs near Ash Camp, where Hawkins Creek flows into the McCloud River — a remote, mountainous region steeped in ecological and cultural significance.
But while this return offers a glimmer of hope for a species teetering on the brink of extinction, experts and Indigenous leaders warn that this is only the first step in a long and complex recovery.
Why the Chinook’s Return Matters
A Keystone Species in Peril
The winter-run Chinook salmon is listed as endangered by NOAA, and is regarded as one of the top nine species most at risk of near-term extinction in the U.S.
Their return to the McCloud River signals not only a biological victory, but a cultural revival for the Indigenous communities whose histories and lifeways are entwined with salmon migration.
For ecosystems, salmon act as a keystone species—nutrients from their decomposing bodies feed everything from bears to forests. Their comeback could set off rippling benefits across the watershed.
The Winnemem Wintu’s Fight for Restoration
From Protest to Global Discovery
The Winnemem Wintu Tribe, whose ancestral lands encompass the McCloud River, have been at the forefront of restoring Chinook salmon for decades. Their resistance to the Shasta Dam enlargement project—which disrupts cold water flows essential for salmon spawning—sparked renewed global interest in the fish’s fate.
A pivotal moment came in 2004, when a Winnemem war dance protest against the dam drew international media attention. Soon after, researchers discovered that McCloud River Chinook had survived — in New Zealand.
Early 20th-century fish hatcheries had shipped Chinook eggs abroad, and remarkably, the descendants of McCloud salmon were thriving in the Southern Hemisphere. This opened the door for what is now a cross-continental repatriation effort, led by the Winnemem Wintu in coordination with CDFW and NOAA.
Hatchery Fish Buy Time—But Don’t Solve the Problem
The Genetic Challenge
According to Rebekah Olstad, salmon restoration project manager for the Winnemem Wintu, hatchery-raised fish can delay extinction—but they’re no substitute for wild, self-sustaining salmon populations.
“The salmon that exist right now, they don’t know how to mountain climb,” Olstad explained. “They’ve lost the genetics to go up waterfalls. It’s generations of domestication.”
That genetic degradation makes volitional passage—allowing fish to migrate naturally between ocean and stream—essential for long-term recovery.
A River Blocked: Why Salmon Can’t Finish Their Life Cycle
Dams Still Prevent Full Migration
While salmon may now be seen spawning in the McCloud River, there’s no way for them to return to the ocean. As Winnemem Wintu tribal member Michael Preston put it: “That’s the real salmon, right? They have to go to the ocean to come back.”
Without a volitional passage system, such as dam bypasses or fish elevators, salmon are stuck. This bottleneck threatens their ability to complete the natural migration cycle critical for reproduction.
The Shasta Dam, originally built without fish ladders, is now the primary obstacle. Its enlargement threatens to further warm the waters, rendering them uninhabitable for salmon eggs.
A Larger Restoration Movement Across the West
The Klamath River Victory
In 2024, salmon began returning to the Klamath River, thanks to tribal-led legal action that resulted in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. Tribal nations like the Karuk, Klamath, and Yurok spent decades fighting for salmon restoration—and won.
The salmon’s comeback to the Klamath is a blueprint of what’s possible when Indigenous leadership is empowered.
Columbia River Setback Under Trump
By contrast, in June 2025, former President Donald Trump reversed an agreement to remove dams on the Columbia River. The reversal dashed hopes of restoring Indigenous fishing rights and revitalizing salmon fisheries in the Pacific Northwest.
Yet despite shifting political winds, Olstad says the Winnemem Wintu won’t stop. “Every single administration has been a difficult administration for Indigenous peoples. It doesn’t mean we’re going to stop.”
The Road Ahead: What Needs to Happen
Building Volitional Passage Systems
For the salmon to thrive again, physical connectivity between rivers and oceans must be restored. The construction of volitional passage infrastructure is vital—not just for the McCloud River, but across all salmon-spawning waterways.
Rewilding the Genetics
Restoring wild salmon is also a genetic project. The fish brought back from New Zealand hold the key to rebuilding a resilient wild population capable of surviving floods, droughts, and climate change.
Rewriting Federal Policy
Policy support is critical. This includes repealing harmful executive orders, securing legal protection for spawning grounds, and investing in Indigenous-led ecological governance.
A Symbol of Survival and Sovereignty
The return of winter-run Chinook to the McCloud River is more than a conservation story. It is a signal that ecosystems can recover and that Indigenous resistance works. It also underscores the fragility of success in the face of climate change and political opposition.
For the Winnemem Wintu, it’s about more than saving a species—it’s about honoring prophecy, sovereignty, and survival.
As Preston said, “Salmon restoration is a part of a prophecy that we’re following. The prayer is that it connects us back into our creation stories.”
The salmon are home—for now. Whether they can stay, thrive, and multiply depends on what America does next.
