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Commentaries and editorials

Letters: Salmon Recovery Plan

by Joel Kawahara
The Oregonian, March 1, 2011

Regarding Jane Lubchenco's Feb. 27 commentary, "Letting science guide salmon recovery": There are two reasons for the modest increases in Columbia Basin salmon in recent years. The first is good ocean conditions leading to higher survival of salmon, but since ocean conditions fluctuate, no one in the administration can take credit for their effects on salmon. If recovery is going to happen, it will be due to good in-river conditions during bad ocean years.

This leads to reason two: spill over dams. Scientists from the Fish Passage Center agree that five years of court-ordered spill has provided salmon a big boost. Lubchenco was silent on this point -- not an oversight, because federal agencies oppose the court's spill requirements, and their salmon plan actually reduces spill to generate more money for BPA while harming salmon.

Related Pages:
Columbia River Salmon: Letting Science Guide Salmon Recovery by Jane Lubchenco, The Oregonian, 2/26/11


Joel Kawahara, Quilcene, Wash.
Letters: Salmon Recovery Plan
The Oregonian, March 1, 2011

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