Snake River salmon get safest summer trip in years

Survival levels of migrating juvenile salmon in the lower Snake River in summer 2005 were "the highest recorded in recent years" according to a preliminary analysis released by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

September, 2005, PORTLAND, Oregon - Survival levels of migrating juvenile salmon in the lower Snake River in summer 2005 were "the highest recorded in recent years" according to a preliminary analysis released by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. The analysis - assessing the effect of US Army Corps of Engineers dam operations pursuant to an injunctive relief order by US District Court Judge James Redden - found a nearly 74% survival rate for sub-yearling Fall Chinook compared to rates between 30-50 in the no-spill summers of 2001-2004.

The technical analysis was requested by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) and other state and federal fishery scientists.

"We've anticipated this good news but it's still tremendous to see the data in black and white" said Robert Taylor, CRITFC chairman. "This is just one stock, in a particularly problematic stretch of river, but the relationship between spill and survival couldn't be made clearer."

Judge Redden ordered the summer spill to occur at four federal dams between June 20 and August 31. The Judge’s order was part of a broader legal challenge against federal salmon recovery plans in the Columbia River involving CRITFC's member tribes, businesses and conservation groups. The spill measures, referring to the practice of diverting water away from power generating turbines and over spillways, were based upon tribal recommendations made in the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission 2005 River Operations Plan.

The Fish Passage Center's report focused on the reach from Lower Granite Dam to McNary Dam using data collected from PIT-tagged fish of both wild and hatchery origin. The analysis compared data from the years 2001 through 2005.

"We're appreciative of the Corps of Engineers' prompt implementation of the court's order and for working with us to tweak and adjust the implementation when necessary," said Olney Patt, executive director of CRITFC. "This bodes well as we now look to moving this most beneficial recovery action from the short term to the long term."

The court ordered spill also appeared to reduce river temperatures at McNary Dam by three degrees Fahrenheit, according to a report by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Early claims that the Judge's order would lead to electric power rate increases have proven untrue. Last week the Bonneville Power Administration announced that it would reduce wholesale rates by 1.6 percent due to surplus power sales exceeding revenue forecasts for 2005 by about $20 million - thanks largely to high market prices for energy and heavy spring rains.

The Fish Passage Center was created in 1983 pursuant to authorities of the Northwest Power Act. The Center serves the technical needs of the Columbia Basin fisheries managers. The entire Fish Passage Center analysis can be found at Fish Passage Center.

About CRITFC: The Portland-based Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission provides technical support and coordination for fishery-management policies of the Columbia River Basin's four treaty tribes: the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe. Learn more about CRITFC and its member tribes at CRITFC.