Our Science & Policy Advisors Speak Out

Snake River Dam Spills

Giving salmon a river rather than just a ride

Oregonian. Thursday, September 29, 2005

ROD SANDO, BILL SHAKE, BOB TUCK AND JIM MARTIN

When the Portland-based Fish Passage Center released preliminary figures suggesting that the additional water spilled over Snake River dams this spring resulted in markedly greater survival of young migrating salmon, a federal fisheries spokesman was quick to question the study's "fuzzy numbers."

The comment cast a shadow over the Fish Passage Center's credibility. That's unfortunate, because the center has been providing excellent data for many years for use by fisheries and hydro system managers, information that has proved essential in the management of sensitive fish stocks.

The Fish Passage Center's study identified its data, its methods and the 90 percent probability range of its results. And it clearly stated that those results were preliminary.

Contrary to the implications of The Oregonian's editorial ("Water over the dam," Sept. 14), there is no debate over the Fish Passage Center's survival estimates. Indeed, the results of the court-ordered spills this year cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of the multimillion-dollar fish barging program that many continue to advocate.

We need to continue to monitor the survival of endangered salmon stocks and to use that information to make informed decisions. As stated in the editorial, it is obvious that decades of debate will not bring about the recovery of harvestable, healthy stocks of salmon. It is debate -- instead of decisive action -- that plagues true salmon recovery, which suffers more from paralysis by analysis than legitimate debate of uncertainties.

The continued decline of wild salmon is not the result of our not knowing what to do. It's the result of those who work hard to preserve the status quo in the hydro system.

The Fish Passage Center's preliminary data clearly shows that juvenile salmon survived their trip past the dams at a far greater rate with the spill program. And that points the way to a potential long-term solutions to salmon recovery. This is the first time this kind of spill has been done, and only the order of a federal judge made it possible.

A sample of only one year is not definitive, of course. But the results appear to be extraordinary and certainly worthy of continuing the program. What we should expect from the federal agency entrusted with salmon recovery is a nod of optimism for their survival and recovery. Perhaps NOAA Fisheries would clarify their fuzzy comments.

In the meantime the rest of us will cheer the news that giving fish a river to travel instead of trucks and barges appears to have given them a substantial benefit on their journey to the ocean, and the welcome prospect of stronger adult returns, while our region still has affordable, reliable power.

That's not fuzzy. It's good news.

Rod Sando is former director of the Idaho Fish and Game Dept. and former executive director of the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority. Bill Shake is formerly regional deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bob Tuck is former commissioner of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Jim Martin is conservation director of the Berkeley Conservation Institute and former chief of fisheries with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. They serve as policy advisers to the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association.

Fish, wildlife officials pull childish trick on anglers

Sunday, September 18, 2005

When we were kids, we'd mischievously sneak into someone else's room, rip up the made bed and reconfigure the sheets. If you took just the top sheet and tucked it under the pillow, then brought the bottom up in its place and folded it back over the replaced blanket, someone ended up with half the sleeping space.

It was called "short-sheeting," and all the hollering from someone else's bedroom was extraordinarily satisfying. We're not kids anymore, but short-sheeting is the best analogy imaginable for what was handed to anglers last week by the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife.

We were short-sheeted by shortsighted short-thinking.

Faced with a shorter-than-predicted run of upriver Columbia fall Chinook, the states summarily shortened a highly popular sport fishing season to a Saturday night closure -- instead of trying to extend fishing through the end of September as originally planned.

Conservation was not an issue. Anglers always have been the first to forgo fishing for conservation. Rather, in this case there were several thousand more fish available to catch -- fish that instead were allocated to gill netters under terms of an inflexible preseason agreement reached this year.

Here's how it worked:

During this spring's season-setting process, an agreement was forged at a technically public meeting to evenly split the Columbia's fall run, non-tribal harvest below Bonneville Dam between sport and gill nets. Numbers were based on the forecasted run of highly popular upriver Chinook, among which mingle federally protected fish bound for the Snake River.

The actual run, however, faltered in August and early September and was downgraded. Meanwhile, anglers had some very good days, and by Saturday they were expected to finish having caught their share, between 16,000 and 17,000.

Managers said sport fishing couldn't be extended through the end of September without spilling over the 50-50 split. Meanwhile, early gill netters didn't land all of their half, and they still have a little more than 7,000 to go.

Rather than retool or adjust the preseason agreement with netters, the states drew the line and closed sport fishing. This, incidentally, is at a time the run is abating, catch rates are dropping and before coastal chinook fishing gets good.

Now what?

"We've never hit a point before where sport (fishing) was done before commercials got theirs," said Steve Williams, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife representative in the decision making with Washington.

That's the old "who'd-a-thunk?" mentality that's been in the hub of every controversial fisheries decision on the Columbia for more than a decade.

Who'd-a-thunk that spring chinook runs would have crashed so far that no fishing at all was allowed many years ago; or that anyone would be allowed to fish again in the month of April; or more recently that amazing record runs would allow everyone to fish as long as they wanted?

And who'd-a-thunk someone would craft a little flexibility into these decisions so we can avoid all these thunk-ings?

If, for example, Williams and Bill Tweit, his Washington Fish and Wildlife Department counterpart, could have negotiated a 60-40 split, the sport season might have lasted through Sept. 30, given the dropping catch rates.

And gill nets still would have had enough room to target hatchery coho salmon without incidental damage to Snake fish. Don't forget that tribal fishermen above Bonneville also are contributing to commercial markets. Fewer net-caught fish below Bonneville won't matter much.

This kind of adjustment, by the way, happens all the time in ocean fisheries because of long-term coziness between the sport charter and commercial troll fleets.

"Cozy" isn't exactly how one might characterize sport and gill net relationships.

"It's like trying to put together a sausage," a beleaguered Williams said at midweek when asked about in-season regulation changes. "You're stuffing it all into the same skin."

Yeah, but instead of Bratwurst we're left with Lil' Smokies.

Short, linkless appetizers.

Bill Monroe: 503-221-8231; billmonroe@news.oregonian.com

Executive Director Liz Hamilton pictured with husband Art Martin and the 45-pounder she caught at the mouth of the Columbia

(Oregonian Sept. 19, 2005)

Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association

PO Box 4

Oregon City, OR 97045

Phone: (503) 631-8859

1-866-315-NSIA

Fax: (503) 631-3887

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