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Removing Dams is Crucial to a $1.5 Billion Industry by Dan McDonald Yakima Herald, April 29, 2022

To the editor -- In response to Sunday's "Replacing dams' power will take smart planning:"

As a lifelong angler and business owner, I agree: Replacing the power of the lower Snake River dams is an important priority.

There is too much at stake -- world-renowned salmon runs -- if we don't.

Protecting fish is not just about ecological health, it is about economic wellbeing.

In Washington state, over 940,000 people fish, spending $1.5 billion and supporting 15,000 jobs. The lower Snake River dams have threatened the survival of salmon and an important part of our local economy since their completion in the 1970s.

The benefit of the fishing economy is not just the size but the location of spending as well.

Over the last several decades, rural areas have been hard hit.

Fishing helps sustain jobs in places where opportunities may otherwise be limited.

Now salmon runs are nearing extinction, which has a direct impact on licenses purchases, retail sales, guided trips, hotel occupancy and more.

Through this lens, ensuring these fish survive must be viewed not as an expense, but as both an ecological and economic investment.

We must tell our elected officials we want them to support the fishing economy, save our salmon and take out the lower Snake River dams.