Less than two months after the removal of dams restored a free-flowing Klamath River, salmon have made their way upstream to begin spawning and have been spotted in Oregon for the first time in more than a century.

The fallout from the closure of the central Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery, in response to the salmon bycatch, continues. Afterward, a number of readers responded with similar questions: What happened to those salmon? Were they sold? Donated? Thrown back into the water? The short answer, according to a federal management official: The salmon were “discarded.”

The total catch volume of Pacific salmon in the district was 302.4 tons. This is almost 91% of the allocated volumes for three categories of fishing - industrial, amateur and traditional for community representatives. This is 11 times less than in 2022, a "non-pink salmon" year (even years are characterized by small approaches of this type of salmon).

Fish and Game issued sport and commercial closures for coho fishing beginning in late summer across the entire Susitna River drainage, northern Cook Inlet and Anchorage. There were also restrictions placed on Kenai Peninsula rivers and streams including the Kenai, Kasilof and the lower Cook Inlet systems. Just last week, on the Kenai River, managers removed the option of sport fishing with bait and reduced the bag limit to one coho.

A new plant species is establishing itself in the area and impacting native beach greens.