Advocates Slam Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Fish and Wildlife Plan, Citing Dismal Salmon and Orca Populations

Seattle, WA-- Today, at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC)’s public hearing on their annual Fish and Wildlife Plan, over 80 advocates from multiple organizations testified-- calling out the Council’s inadequate plan to protect region’s struggling steelhead and Snake-Columbia salmon populations - along with the orca that rely on them -from extinction.

After the meeting, representatives from organizations in attendance released the following statements:

“Not long ago, the Columbia-Snake River Basin was the world’s greatest producer of Chinook Salmon. Today, primarily due to the federal system of dams and reservoirs, it has suffered devastating losses. These declines have hit fishing people and jobs especially hard. Restoring salmon abundance in the Snake and Columbia rivers is critical to the health of fishing communities across the Northwest and, of course, the future of Southern Resident orcas facing extinction today due to loss of this critical food resource,” said Joseph Bogaard, Executive Director of Save Our Wild Salmon.

“Salmon runs and orca populations continue to teeter at the brink of extinction and we are running out of time. The state must consider all options and new approaches to restore these iconic species and revitalize communities-- requiring real and collaborative leadership from our elected officials in the region,” said Alex Craven, Representative of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign.