Posts Tagged ‘ Salmon ’

Judge Redden: Snake River Dams May Have To Come Down

April 17, 2009
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Here’s good tip from the Oregonian, which is getting the news from an online publication called the NW Fishletter.

The Fishletter reports that District Court Judge James Redden is still concerned about the long term survival of salmon on the Snake River, specifically that they could be extinct by 2017. The Fishletter speculates on how Redden may have picked that date. But the big point here is that, according to the article, Redden told federal regulators their plan for salmon recovery in the Columbia River and Snake River basins should include an option for breaching the Snake River dams.

Redden is expected to issue a ruling soon on the latest federal salmon recovery plan, also known as a Biological Opinion. He’s rejected two earlier versions.

The Silver Lining In This Year’s Salmon Season

April 10, 2009
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We don’t mean to play down the difficult year ahead for commercial salmon fishermen in Southern Oregon and California. But an announcement from ODFW is a good reminder that not all the news about this year’s season is bleak.

Recreational fishermen will have a “banner year” for coho everywhere along the coast, according to ODFW. Federal regulators are calling for a ten week recreational season south of Cape Falcon and a 13 week season north of there. ODFW’s Ron Boyce says, “This is the largest coho quota since 1992.”

Commercial fishermen are more likely to go after chinook salmon. But the chinook numbers from the Sacramento River are so low, that season south of Cape Falcon was entirely closed. There is, however, a short commercial season for coho near Cape Falcon in September.

During a public hearing on the fishing regulation in Coos Bay, many of the commercial fishermen offered to give up fishing this year so that sport fishermen could have a better season.

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Big Boost In Spending For Columbia River Salmon Habitat

April 8, 2009
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Three federal agencies want to add another $40 million to a program that protects and restores salmon estuaries along the Columbia River.  The money would be spent on projects such as restoring wetlands near the coast and improving fish passage.

An agreement between the agencies and the state of Washington would nearly double the funding for the program over the next 9 years.  The money comes from the Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration and the Bureau of Reclamation.  It’s on top of more than $49 million the agencies have already agreed to spend.  Washington Fish and Wildlife will manage the program.

WDFW Interim Director Phil Anderson says the money will help them speed up the habitat restoration and because of that, other types of wildlife will also benefit.

Meanwhile, Bonneville Power is taking public comments at this website:

Estuary Habitat MOA with State of Washington

Three More Bonneville Sea Lions Euthanized

April 3, 2009
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Wildlife officials put down three more of the sea lions that were captured this week at Bonneville Dam. Oregon Fish and Wildlife says they all had health problems that prevented them from being placed in zoo or aquariums.

Of the eight sea lions trapped on Wednesday:

  • 4 were euthanized. 3 had contagious viral lesions and the fourth had other unnamed health problems.
  • 2 were released.
  • 1 will be transported to Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma and will eventually go to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.
  • 1 has undergone a health check and officials are waiting for lab results to come back.
Courtesy ODFW

Courtesy ODFW

In recent years, a growing number of sea lions have been gathering at Bonneville Dam for the spring salmon run. They come because the pickings are easy. Salmon are forced into a relatively small area as they make their way through the dam’s fish passages. In 2007, it’s estimated the sea lions got 4% of the salmon.

At first, wildlife officials tried to scare off the sea lions using noisemakers and water cannons. But when that didn’t work, they got federal permission to begin the trapping program. They’re allowed to take, and possibly kill, about 80 sea lions. But they’re focusing on capturing about 70 sea lions that are heavy predators of salmon.

Fourth Bonneville Sea Lion Killed, Five Captured

April 3, 2009
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One of the eight sea lions trapped at the Bonneville Dam this week has been euthanized. That brings the total number of sea lions killed this year by wildlife officials, to four.

Courtesy ODFW

Courtesy ODFW

Oregon Fish and Wildlife says the sea lion couldn’t be placed in a zoo or aquarium because it has contagious viral lesions, which is the same reason it says put down the three other sea lions.

Meanwhile, two of the remaining six sea lions were branded and released. One has passed a health exam and the remaining four are being examined today.

Wildlife officials have federal permission to trap and kill up to 80 sea lions that heavy predators of salmon at Bonneville Dam.

Another Dam Bites The Dust

April 2, 2009
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Derided by environmentalists as a “fish killer”, next week marks the beginning of the end for Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River near Grants Pass. After it’s gone, almost 126 miles of the Rogue will be free flowing.

Savage Rapids Dam. Courtesy Bureau of Reclamation.

Savage Rapids Dam. Courtesy Bureau of Reclamation.

It starts Tuesday with the construction of coffer dams, temporary structures that will give workers a dry place to do their jobs. That’s expected to take several weeks.

Then the main event begins. Workers will spend the next several months chipping away at the dam, removing enough of it so that the Rogue returns to its natural flow and the steelhead and salmon can swim easily through the gap. That work should be wrapped up by the fall.

The total cost is about $40 million, with $3 million coming from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board which helped keep the removal plans on track.

The benefits for fish could be enormous. A 1995 study by the Bureau of Reclamation concluded that if the dam was removed, the numbers of salmon and steelhead would increase by 22%, or 114,000 more fish with an economic boost of $5 million to the fishing industry. The Rogue River is the second largest producer of salmon in the state.

The Rogue River at Blossom Bar. Courtesy BLM

The Rogue River at Blossom Bar. Courtesy BLM

But people will benefit too. The Rogue is popular with tourists who come to enjoy the scenery, the whitewater and fishing. 84 miles of the Rogue have been designated a Wild and Scenic River. The Bureau of Land Management estimates 25,000 people visit annually. The removal of the dam opens up another 18 miles of free flowing river for people to enjoy too.

It’s taken decades to get here. A series of court battles over the dam began in 1988 when Water Watch of Oregon sued over how much water was being diverted from the river. The dam was built in 1921 by the Grants Pass Irrigation District.

After the coffer dams are up, one of the next steps will also be to install fish friendly pumps that will supply water for farmers who need it for irrigation.

What’s next for the Rogue? Bob Hunter of Water Watch says another dam on the river will be demolished in the next few years. The Gold Ray dam, owned by Jackson County, is considered one of Oregon’s top 10 impediments to wild salmon and steelhead. The dam was originally built for hydropower but it hasn’t been operated for almost four decades. Jackson County is seeking $5 million in stimulus money to speed up the timetable so removal can begin in 2010, that’s about two years ahead of the current schedule.

And when that happens, Hunter says the Rogue will be free flowing for almost 160 miles.