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Judge Helping Endangered Fish Survive by Marjorie Millner Oregonian, March 5, 2026

May a judge be considered a keystone species? If so, I nominate U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon, who issued an order on Feb. 25 that has far-reaching benefits for our threatened Columbia basin ecosystem, ("Judge orders changes to Columbia and Snake river dam operations to help salmon," Feb. 26).

Carefully coordinating and balancing science and hydropower system logistics, Simon has ordered what could well be a double salvation: at one end, for the baby Chinook salmon who will be heading downstream to the ocean starting next week; at the other end, for the starving Southern Resident orcas, who need these salmon to survive that downstream journey, mature and fulfill their historical role as the orcas' main food.

Simon ordered a reduction in reservoir depth and extra river flow that will help fish bypass power-generating turbines. The water amounts are similar to recent years, and these measures haven't previously hampered adequate hydropower production.

With this order, Simon is giving the Columbia basin ecosystem a chance not to crumble as the decades-old lawsuit over fish survival resumes. This lawsuit was paused in 2023 while the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement was in effect. Once the Trump administration canceled the agreement, groups fighting for the fish had to return to court, because the wild salmon and steelhead and the gifts they bring to our region are running out of time.

Thank you to Earthjustice, the Columbia River tribes and the states of Oregon and Washington for continuing the fight for these endangered fish. And thanks to Simon, for following the science.

Related Pages:
Biden Administration Report Admits the Harm of Columbia, Snake Dams on Indigenous People by Isabella Breda, Seattle Times, 6/19/24