PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Oregon biologists have recorded the highest number of adult steelhead trout to return to the Deschutes River since the 1960s.
Members of the Pelton Round Butte hydroelectric project, a joint effort from Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, tracked more than 250 steelhead that have swam through the water so far this year.
Possible tornado touchdown on the Oregon Coast Monday night
According to P G E , river dams interfered with salmon and steelhead migration from the 1950s through 2010. The energy company joined forces with the Confederated Tribes and local agencies in 2005, to prompt anadromous species’ return to the water.
Experts project even more steelhead could return to Deschutes River through the year, as the runs typically last from July or August until March.
“We’ve already surpassed the entire run from last year, which was our previous record,” PGE Hydropower Projects Environmental Science Manager Megan Hill said in a statement. “While there is still a long way to go toward our long-term goals for fish reintroduction, these returns demonstrate important progress and point to the efficacy of our science-based strategies for fish recovery.”