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"Current Topics"

RESPONSE:

There's an important story about saving Columbia and Snake River salmon, but unfortunately Paul Vandevelder's column doesn't tell it. He wants dams removed, so it's natural that he'd argue nothing else can work. But where he sees a deadlock, federal agencies, states and tribes are more unified in salmon recovery efforts than ever.
We’ve made progress, especially in helping juvenile fish travel safely downstream past dams. We began an overhaul of the four lower Snake River and lower Columbia River dams more than 10 years ago, and the results are clear: improved survival of passing fish, rising numbers of returning adults and the expansion of fishing seasons. There’s more:
*Nearly all adults passing the dams survive, while more than 95 percent of juveniles pass each dam safely.
*Predation by birds and fish that consumed millions of young salmon has dropped dramatically.
*Collaborative projects have restored many miles of degraded rivers and streams, and salmon and steelhead are now spawning in reaches they haven't for many decades.
*Key salmon and steelhead runs are showing real improvements.
Ratepayers who use electricity produced by the dams paid for many of these improvements, evidence of the region’s strong commitment to do what’s right for fish. But dams are not the only factor that affects fish, so we’re also addressing habitat, harvest and hatcheries.
The federal agencies that operate the federal Columbia River hydroelectric system face many competing demands, for water, electricity, recreation, flood control, fish and wildlife and much more. There’s also looming uncertainty: climate change, for instance, and shifting ocean conditions. We do our best to balance all these factors, within our authorities and the law, while always considering what’s best for fish and for the region.
We hold ourselves accountable and we expect the public to do the same. Learn more about what we’re doing and how we do it at www.salmonrecovery.gov

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Bonneville Power Administration

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