Critics Say Bush Salmon Plan Sinks Recovery Effort

PORTLAND, Oregon, September 10, 2004 (ENS) - Technology can mitigate the harmful effects of dams on salmon in the Columbia River Basin, according to the Bush administration's draft revision of the federal salmon plan.

Administration officials said the plan lays out an "aggressive set of measures to protect salmon" but conservationists contend the proposal runs contrary to science and violates the federal government's responsibility to protect endangered salmon.

"This plan has gone from bad to worse," said John Kober with the National Wildlife Federation. "Instead of ensuring that we will see long-term salmon recovery and abundance, it jeopardizes whether we will have salmon at all."

Bush officials countered that the plan balances the energy and water needs of the Northwest with the commitment to increasing healthy salmon stocks.

Bob Lohn, northwest regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries, told reporters the plan "continues an aggressive and sensible approach to salmon protection in the Columbia River Basin, with a firm commitment up front to protect salmon."

Lohn called the plan "a significant achievement that can benefit both the region and its fish."

The administration's proposal, released Thursday, is the latest incarnation of the plan to balance the operation of federal dams with the federal obligation to protect and restore imperiled salmon in the Columbia River Basin.

The plan has long been the source of controversy - and litigation - as policymakers, federal officials and interested parties wrestle with how to protect and restore an icon of the Pacific Northwest.

The Bush administration was forced to rewrite the plan in response to a court order issued in May 2003 by U.S. District Court Judge James Redden, who ruled the plan violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because there was no certainty the recommended actions would be carried out.

Fish ladders can help salmon migrate around dams. (Photo by Doug Thiele courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

A key part of this latest proposal is the decision to allow NOAA Fisheries to ignore the impact of the dams' existence and instead only evaluate the impacts of dam operations.

Both impacts were considered in the prior biological opinions that lay at the heart of the federal salmon plan - the revision has drawn sharp criticism from salmon advocates.

Bush officials say the change in policy will not jeopardize future of the ESA-listed salmon and steelhead.

The plan will ensure the viability of the listed species, according to officials, through a slew of protection measures, including: installation of multi-million dollar, fish-guiding devices at dams to improve fish passage and survival; targeting fish and wildlife funding for habitat improvements and reforming hatcheries to boost naturally spawning runs in key areas.

It promotes the use of removable spillway weirs, which help young salmon safely navigate the dams as they migrate to the sea and allow dam operators to spill less water needed to aid the salmon.

"One area where we have seen good results is surface oriented passage for juvenile fish at the dams," said Brigadier General William Grisoli, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwest Division, who touted the promise of spillway weirs.

Critics are unconvinced and believe the plan is unlikely to be accepted by Judge Redden.

"The plan is dense with details about unproven and expensive techno-fixes like removable spillway weirs, meant to distract us from the plan's real shortcomings," said Rob Masonis of American Rivers. "What you will not see in the plan is the conclusion of the federal government's own scientists that these techno-fixes will provide very little improvement in salmon survival."

Masonis said the administration is ignoring the fact that the dams are the primary obstacle to salmon recovery.

Scientists estimate that each dam on the Columbia and Snake Rivers kills five to 15 percent of the salmon migrating through the structure.

Wild salmon are considered by many to be an irreplaceable icon of the Pacific Northwest. (Photo courtesy Columbia & Snake Rivers Campaign)

Proponents say they are encouraged that the administration's revisions to the plan are "performance-based" and call on federal dam operators to measure the performance of their operations and adjust efforts accordingly to ensure salmon protection.

"This plan acknowledges the intense effort that the region has put forth for salmon and it builds on the significant increase in adult salmon returning to the river," said Shauna McReynolds, spokesperson for the Coalition for Smart Salmon Recovery, a partnership of farmers, employers, utility customers and public power providers in the Pacific Northwest.

According to Bill McDonald, regional director of the federal Bureau of Reclamation, the theme of the proposal is "effective salmon enhancement through the most efficient means possible."

"The performance targets for the hydro system provide clear but flexible objectives for evaluating the success of actions under this draft biological opinion," he said.

The Lower Granite Dam is one of four dams conservationists say should be removed to ensure the future of wild salmon on the Snake River. (Photo by Doug Thiele courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

Nearly all ESA-listed populations are significantly improved from numbers counted in 2000 and well above 10 year averages, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Lohn acknowledged the role of favorable ocean cycles in improved returns, but said habitat restoration and new technologies to aid fish passage have helped.

Salmon advocates believe the administration is overstating improvements to ESA-listed populations and has rejected the practice of considering long-term population trends, which show salmon numbers in the Columbia and Snake rivers down 94 percent from historic levels.

"The recent 'upswing' in salmon returns is fading and was never as good as it was made out to be," said Pat Ford, executive director Save Our Wild Salmon. "Basing the new plan on the trends that we have seen for only the last few years will bring back the devastatingly low wild salmon numbers that we saw in the 1990s."

Public comments will be accepted on the plan through October 8 - NOAA Fisheries is obligated by the court order to finalize the plan by November 30.

Details and information on how to comment on the proposal can be found here.