By Bill Arthur, Columbia/Snake River Salmon Campaign Coordinator & Alex Craven, Our Wild America Organizer
Our Southern Resident killer whales have lost three more members of their pod this year and the salmon returns to the Columbia and Snake Rivers are at historic lows. As of September, the returning runs of salmon and steelhead range between 25-50% of the historic ten year average.
With our iconic Northwest species in dire straits, we cannot afford weak and ineffective recovery plans. In order to recover salmon and help our starving orca, we must think bigger. Anything less fails the people of the Northwest, our wildlife and sport, commercial and tribal fishing communities.
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has just released an update of their plan for fish affected by hydro power development in the Columbia Basin, including salmon and steelhead. According to the 1980 legislation that established the Council, their charge is to "protect, mitigate and enhance" the salmon and steelhead runs of the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and their tributaries, that have been impacted by the development of the hydro-system. The same legislation mandates that NWPCC must also update their plans for energy and fish and wildlife every five years. These plans are important because they provide direction for the Bonneville Power Administration.
But, the newest version of the NWPCC’s plan continues a long pattern of avoiding the primary problem for salmon and steelhead: the lower Snake River dams. They persist in proposing a set of timid and inadequate actions. With our salmon and steelhead at the brink of extinction, it's time to change the pattern of failure.
We must call on the NWPCC to provide clear leadership and work with both the Governor's and the Northwest congressional delegation to forge a strong and effective solution that works for salmon, orca and communities. Take action here!
If you can, please plan to attend the public meeting in Spokane on Oct. 1 and Seattle on Oct. 15 at 5pm. Come early to join salmon and orca activists, and learn more about why commercial fishermen and scientists alike believe that we need to restore the Lower Snake River.