Do Ocean Conditions Trump Dam Effects?
Regional salmon scientists briefed members of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council last week on some of their latest findings at a two-day confab in Portland designed to improve the dialog between researchers and policymakers. Members heard reports on various aspects of habitat restoration, mainstem survival, along with estuary and ocean research. With BPA poised to spend more than a billion dollars on dam improvements and habitat projects in the Columbia Basin that double as jobs programs, some federal scientists were pointing more than ever to the ocean’s huge role at determining the numbers of returning salmon. But our knowledge of ocean processes is pretty skimpy compared to the huge amounts of information gleaned about salmon before they leave their rivers. University of Washington oceangoing scientist Kate Meyers pointed out that 99 percent of the research on salmon deals with its life in fresh water, while 99 percent of its growth occurs in salt water. NMFS scientists we
