Basin Salmon Runs Continue to Improve

By Pratik Joshi, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.

Mar. 29–Salmon runs have improved dramatically in the Columbia River Basin in the last six or seven years, thanks to improvements at the dams and long-term fish monitoring, says an official of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Spillway weirs, or fish slides, at the dams have helped provide juvenile fish with less-stressful passage, and fish tags have led to more effective monitoring, said Bob Lohn, northwest regional administrator of the federal agency.

Lohn spoke Wednesday at a luncheon sponsored by Tri-Ports, Tri-City Development Council and area chambers of commerce in Pasco. He said the new analysis can potentially move the dialogue forward on a highly controversial topic: The possible breaching of dams on the four lower Snake River dams.

The issue pits conservation groups, tribes and commercial fishermen against a coalition of organizations and businesses that support science-based measures and promote a holistic strategy to salmon recovery.

“We need to focus on a strong regional economic focus and strong salmon revival,” Lohn said.

Better monitoring also suggests that salmon have steadily adapted to changes in river currents. But there’s a need to protect their habitat and ecommend appropriate harvest levels to continue the recovery process, he said.

Federal agencies, including fisheries and the Army Corps of Engineers, are working on a program for ecosystem management, Lohn added. Earlier this month, the Corps installed a prototype surface bypass spillway at McNary Lock and Dam.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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