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I really appreciated hearing President Obama mention SALMON in his speech.  Leaving the joke aside (which was very funny), he points to a real crisis facing salmon in the Northwest. Glad that the camera panned to Secretary Locke, who's Commerce Dept. via NOAA fisheries, is continuing past failures to restore salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Could the mention be a nod towards a significant policy shift on salmon recovery which is sorely needed, in the Columbia-Snake and elsewhere? Or is it a passing reference to make a point about government dysfunction? It's worth hoping.

posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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All science ends up in the political realm. I agree with Ed Backus' fear that this study has the potential to provide a distraction from addressing real long term recovery in the Columbia Basin. That may not be the author's intentions but it certainly gives the federal government something to hang their hat on. The grossly misleading press release title "No Dam Difference" doesn't help things either.

The Feds' last plan for the Columbia/Snake Basin rolls back many of the measures, like spill, that work for these fish. This PLoS study tells more about the unfortunate conditions of the Fraser River than the Columbia/Snake. The science on the Columbia has for years, clearly indicated that recovery to abundance of wild salmon and steelhead must include the option to remove the four lower Snake River dams. And that's science from state, federal, and tribal levels. Yet the federal government continues to ignore this reality.

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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