Re: “Take out dams and maintain the Snake River salmon’s final, finest place” [Dec. 13, Opinion]:
Chris Wooden’s impassioned name for Snake River Dam elimination misses some important info. A better look will present that the fee shall be excessive, however it can nearly definitely not lead to restoring historic Chinook runs.
Pacific salmon numbers are at report highs. Large hatcheries in Asia flood the market, so the salmon neighborhood is in disaster. Chinook are in hassle, however not due to dams. Regardless of nice efforts and cash spent, Chinook restoration stays dismal. Quite a few research present that ocean warming unequivocally harms Chinook whereas serving to different species akin to sockeye to flourish.
One other main drawback is predation from harbor seals. Seals within the Salish Sea alone consumed 24 million Chinook, in line with a research led by the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — almost 90% of all harbor seals from Alaska to California.
However probably the most telling research reveals that Chinook do even worse on undammed rivers than with dams. NOAA confirmed that 95% of Chinook efficiently handed via dams and supported the existence of dams till the Biden administration arrived after which conveniently reversed their longstanding assist for the dams.
Chinook restoration is significant, and restoration will depend on correct analysis of the issues.
Gerald Baron, Mount Vernon, director of analysis, Save Household Farming