Letter to the Editor: State Officials Should Focus on Increasing Numbers of Salmon and Steelhead

Posted

The state of Washington and other agencies spend millions of dollars each year for salmon recovery and habitat restoration. Most of their projects include culvert enlargement, vegetation planting and log placement on gravel bars along river banks.

These projects would be justified if there were sustainable numbers of fish to benefit from this activity. There are not. This is the problem. Officials should be focused on projects to increase population numbers in salmon and steelhead.

My main focus is on the Cowlitz River and its tributaries. In the 1960s, dams were built without fish ladders, cutting off primary spawning grounds for salmon and steelhead. In turn, fish hatcheries were built to maintain fish populations. Unfortunately these facilities over the last decade or so have been grossly mismanaged and are not running at full capacity. This is one of many reasons for the decline of fish on the Cowlitz River.

In addition to the fish hatcheries, which have done little to improve smolt releases back into the river, egg boxes should be installed into all the creeks and tributaries of the river. These boxes would only have to be maintained until adequate numbers of returning fish begin to repopulate on their own. This would greatly enhance the fish population. I’m disappointed that a program like this was not implemented years ago. Fish have used smaller streams to spawn for many years and there’s no reason why this can’t happen again.

Finally, if predators like fish eating birds that pick off smolt like dive bombers heading to the ocean, and seals and sea lions consuming more than their share of adult fish returning to spawn, are not reduced in numbers the salmon have little chance.



State funds must be redirected into programs that increase hatchery production and   reduce numbers of predators. Until this happens, salmon will never return to sustainable numbers no matter how much habitat is restored.

 

Mike Barnett

Winlock