Salmon return after tribes push culvert upgrades in Washington

Salmon are returning to parts of western Washington after tribes pressed the state to upgrade culverts that blocked fish passage, according to the Portland-based nonprofit organization Magic Canoe. At Chico Creek in Bremerton, a multiyear construction project replaced narrow culverts with a wider bridge, reopening historic spawning habitat for chum salmon, which have since returned.

The work follows a 2013 federal injunction that required Washington to fix state-owned culverts that blocked salmon migration and violated tribal treaty rights, according to Magic Canoe. The ruling, later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, ordered the state to reopen access to 90 percent of potential upstream fish habitat. By June 2025, the Washington Department of Transportation had corrected 176 barriers but said it would miss the 2030 deadline and need billions more to complete the work.

Tribal leaders said the upgrades reconnect salmon habitat and restore access to traditional fishing areas while improving ecosystem health, according to Magic Canoe.