For the first time in decades, salmon have returned to the Klamath River Basin. Recent dam removals have reopened hundreds of miles of historic spawning grounds, allowing salmon to migrate freely for the first time in generations. But unfortunately, some of them met a snag hook in a closed area.
A Klamath Falls Fish and Wildlife Trooper cited an angler for illegally taking Chinook salmon from Spencer Creek, marking the first criminal salmon case in the area since salmon returned to the Klamath Basin.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) tipped off troopers after witnesses reported an individual actively fishing and provided photos showing the unlawful harvest. Although the angler had fled the scene before officers arrived, sharp-eyed witnesses supplied a vehicle license plate that led troopers straight to the suspect on Highway 66…