THE OSPREY the International Journal of Salmon and Steelhead Conservation

THE OSPREY The International Journal of Salmon and Steelhead Conservation

Issue No. 96 May 2020 Fraser Basin Summer Steelhead Collapse Commercial salmon ﬁsheries intercept adult spawners

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: KLAMATH DAMS UPDATE • RECOVERING SALMON TO SAVE ORCAS • COLUMBIA-SNAKE RIVER SALMON AND STEELHEAD COLD WATER REFUGIA • WILD REDFISH LAKE SOCKEYE Contents THE OSPREY Chair Pete Soverel Columns & News Editor 3 From the Perch — Editor’s Message Jim Yuskavitch Editorial Committee 4 Hits and Misses — Chair’s Corner Pete Soverel • Ryan Smith Greg Knox • Ralf Kroning 5 Guest Column — Puget Sound Steelhead Advisory Rich Simms • Kurt Beardslee Group Minority Report Scientific Advisors Rick Williams • Jack Stanford Jim Lichatowich • Bill McMillan 22 Fish Watch: Wild Fish News, Issues and Initiatives Bill Bakke • Michael Price

Design & Layout Features Jim Yuskavitch Fraser Basin Summer Steelhead Collapse Letters To The Editor 6 The Osprey welcomes letters to the By Scott Simpson editor. Article submissions are wel- come but queries in advance are preferred.

Klamath River Dams: Where are we today? The Osprey 10 69278 Lariat By Dr. Mark Rockwell Sisters, OR 97759 [email protected]

The Osprey is a joint publication of not-for-proﬁt A Monumental (Task) Force organizations concerned with the conservation and 13 sustainable management of wild Paciﬁc salmon and Saving salmon to save Southern Resident orcas steelhead and their habitat throughout their native and introduced ranges. This unique partnership includes The Conservation Angler, Fly Fishers Inter- By Colleen Weiler national, Steelhead Society of British Columbia, SkeenaWild Conservation trust, Wild Salmon Cen- ter, Wild Fish Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and Wild Steelhead Coalition. Financial support is pro- Columbia and Snake River Basin Salmon-Steelhead vided by partner organizations, individuals, clubs 16 and corporations. The Osprey is published three Crisis 2020 times a year in January, May and September. All materials are copyrighted and require permission By Joseph Bogaard prior to reprinting or other use.

19 ODFW Establishes No Angling Sanctuaries for Three New Columbia River Thermal Refuges

By Dave Moskowitz

20 The Naturals: Will wild Redfish Lake sockeye salmon endure?

By Pat Ford

by Jim Yuskavitch

s much of the world’s population hunkered down to vehicles to allow for outdoor dining. Conservation officials over the last couple of months to help slow the in Thailand are planning to close their parks periodically to spread of the Coronavirus and Covid-19, the dis- help wildlife. ease that it causes, scientists and other ob- It remains to be seen whether or not people are willing to servers of nature began to notice some changes. make some changes in how they live and use natural re- AAs human activity — everything from travel, use of motor- sources. It’s just as likely that everyone will go back to doing ized vehicles, industrial and other commercial endeavors things they way they always did. slowed — the planet was slowly becoming noticeably cleaner For wild salmon and steelhead advocates, a new, more pos- and quieter. itive and responsible world paradigm, would undoubtably In national parks, wildlife were observed expanding into help, but it’s unlikely to put us out of business. areas that were formerly crowded with people, and in both Europe and the US, there were reports of various wildlife species coming out of the forests and mountains to wander through towns and cities as the human populations remained mostly indoors. With fewer cars and trucks on the road, pollution levels in the world’s major met- ropolitan areas began to drop significantly. In fact, the skies over the Indian city of Jalandhar cleared enough that its residents were able to see the Himalayan Mountains in the distance for the first time in 30 years. Some optimistic souls speculate that the Human Race may take some lessons to heart from our pandemic experience, and find the motivation to live less heavily on Planet Earth, and treat her and her wide range of inhabitants — including wild fish — with more respect and value. Perhaps something good will come out of all of this. People are riding bicycles more, and some cities are closing streets How The Osprey Helps Wild Fish The Osprey has been bringing the lat- So when you subscribe/donate to The est science, policy, opinion and news Osprey, you not only receive a subscrip- stories to its readers supporting wild tion yourself, but you also help us put Pacific salmon and steelhead conserva- Sending The Osprey to The Osprey into the hands of the people tion and management for 31 years. But we need bring to our side to save our we are much more than a publication decision makers is wild fish. that you subscribe to because of your key to our wild ﬁsh Please go to the subscription/donation own interest in wild fish conservation. form on page 23 or on-line at The funds we receive from our sub- conservation advocacy. http://www.theconservationangler.com scribers allows us send The Osprey to and donate whatever you are able. wild fish conservation decision-makers Your support makes Thank you. and influencers including scientists, fisheries managers, politicians and wild that possible. Jim Yuskavitch fish advocates. Editor, The Osprey

May 2020 • Issue No. 96 3 HITS & MISSES — CHAIR’S CORNER Coldwater Refugia, Yes; Wild Skagit Steelhead, No By Pete Soverel

his issue’s Hits & Misses 2. Massive hatchery programs to “jump results of different recovery strategies column includes progress start” wild populations (Elwha/two to help provide an evidentiary basis to for wild Columbia River dams) guide recovery strategies, monitoring steelhead and salmon, a big regimes, and fish/fisheries manage- miss for wild steelhead on 3. “Conservation” hatcheries (talk about ment. Tthe Skagit and discussion of the various an oxymoron) based upon wild or near We are pleased to received a detailed strategies used to restore salmon and wild brood stock to prevent local ex- description of Klamath dam removal steelhead runs after dam removal. tinctions and provide a base for recov- and fish recovery strategies, which ery of wild populations (Sandy River; readers will find beginning on page 10. HITS Klamath – proposed); More such articles will be published in future issues of The Osprey. Columbia River coldwater refugia 4. Mining eggs from wild, in-river redds to be reared in hatcheries to boost lo- The Oregon Department of Fish and cally adapted wild populations (Elwha MISSES Wildlife has established cold water winter run steelhead) refugia at several locations along the Skagit Steelhead Management Zone Oregon side of the Columbia River. As 5. Elements of some or all of the above. the summer progresses, temperatures In 2008, the Washington Fish and in the main stem Columbia approach So far, there is little evidence that Wildlife Commission adopted a lethal levels. The fish naturally congre- hatchery assisted recovery based upon Statewide Steelhead Management Plan gate in the cold water plumes at the either massive or conservation hatch- and directed the Washington Depart- mouths of cold water tributaries. These eries is effective — Elwha Chinook and ment of Fish and Wildlife to identify the congregations attract, in turn, targeted winter steelhead, for example. There is most productive rivers for designation recreational as well as tribal fishing ef- some evidence that natural recovery as Wild Steelhead Management Zones fort. After years of persistent lobbying can be effective (Elwha: dramatic sum- (WSMZs). After years of dithering, led largely by The Conservation Angler, mer run steelhead, bull trout, searun WDFW finally designed several lower Oregon did the right thing. Now it’s up cutthroat rapidly increasing natural Columbia and Olympic Peninsula to the Washington Fish and Wildlife populations; Alewife populations in rivers. Finally, in 2015, WDFW commit- Commission to follow suit, closing sim- Maine rivers; less clear in the case of ted to designate at least one such sys- ilar areas on the Washington side such White Salmon populations following re- tem in each of three zones in Puget as Wind River and Drano Lake. It’s be- moval of Condit dam). In other words, Sound — Hood Canal, South Sound and yond overdue. See page 19 of this issue the jury is out on the most efficacious North Cascade. for a detailed article on the Oregon Fish fish recovery strategies following dam WDFW solicited recommendations and Wildlife Commission’s pursuit of removal. from the public and held three separate protecting wild fish using cold water It was within this context, especially regional meetings to hear from the pub- refugia. in light of radically different responses lic. The Department received hundreds of Elwha fish populations to different of public comments and the meetings recovery strategies that I expressed Fish recovery strategies were well attended. Overwhelmingly, skepticism in the winter 2020 issue of following dam removal 800 to 900, favored a very specific set The Osprey about the proposed Kla- of rivers to be designated WSMZ’s math steelhead and Chinook recovery The Osprey Editorial Board has iden- headed by the Skagit River source to strategies that rely heavily on excep- tified dam removal and fish responses mouth, and all its tributaries. Many or- tionally short-term (one generation) to removal as key topics for editorial at- ganizations stated flexibility in river se- hatchery based models. Let’s be clear, tention systematically in all or most lection with the exception of source to The Osprey supports strongly dam re- editions of The Osprey. Dam removal mouth protection for the Skagit. On that moval and restoration of robust wild proposals and programs are flourishing issue, most conservation organizations populations. There are a variety of fish in Salmon Nation from the Canadian stipulated their commitment to “go to recovery strategies now in use or pro- border to southern California. A wide the mat” to secure WSMZ designation posed. Let’s carefully examine alterna- range of recovery strategies have been for the entire Skagit with many noting tive approaches and let the fish guide utilized or planned to accompany dam that, as a result of a successful lawsuit, us in selecting the most efficacious removal: the Skagit was, already, a de facto strategies to restore WILD populations. WSMZ. There is no point spending billions of 1. Do nothing and let the fish recover WDFW reacted by rejecting public dollars to remove dams while continu- themselves (White Salmon/Condit input and establishing a special advi- ing or expanding hatchery programs. In Dam); sory group, Puget Sound Steelhead Ad- coming issues, The Osprey will explore Continued on next page 4 The Osprey Continued from previous page Puget Sound Steelhead Advisory Group Minority Report visory Group, to guide selection of By Jamie Glasgow Puget Sound WSMZ rivers. Members included several organizations that As a member of the Puget Sound tion obligations for future generations. committed to go to the mat for the Sk- Steelhead Advisory Group (PSSAG), Expectations established previously agit. Three years later, the group pub- Washington’s Department of Fish and may no longer be appropriate. Wild fish lished their report: Wildlife (WDFW) asked me to share populations threatened with extinction my knowledge, experience, and per- are not ones to target for expanded “QuickSilver - Restoring Puget Sound spectives on recovering ESA-listed recreational fishing pressure. Instead, Steelhead and Fisheries” Puget Sound steelhead while enhanc- existing hatcheries and recreational https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/ ing sustainable recreational fishing fisheries targeting threatened or en- 202005/quicksilver_pssag_report_final opportunities. To that end I attended dangered fish populations should be _draft_5-5-20.pdf meetings for three years, finding com- critically reviewed and monitored to mon ground with 12 fellow advisors — ensure they align with the best avail- You can imagine my surprise to dis- all passionate recreational fishermen able science, and changed if the risks cover this group, with a single excep- — where I could. While there are some they pose to wild fish recovery don’t far tion, did not commit to WSMZ for the advisory group recommendations that exceed the benefits. Skagit top to bottom to which they I do support (those addressing the ac- One of the primary lessons the Advi- pledged in 2015. Indeed, the document knowledged lack of data necessary for sory Group learned together is that envisions a wild brood stock program in responsible management and recovery WDFW needs better information than the future for the Skagit — never mind planning), there are significant recom- currently available to manage wild an earlier version of such a program mendations in the group’s final report steelhead responsibly. State and federal was terminated by WDFW because “QuickSilver – Restoring Puget Sound steelhead managers are making deci- WDFW concluded that the wild brood- Steelhead & Fisheries” that I do not sions about harvest and hatchery man- stock program run by the Wildcat Steel- support. My dissent with the advisory agement with limited data, and with head Club, based near Sedro Woolley, group is largely informed by three re- models that do not account for crucial WA, produced fewer returning adult cent WDFW publications which, de- aspects of steelhead biology and ecol- steelhead than if the broodstock had spite their relevance, were not ogy. Funding is needed to obtain critical been left in the river to spawn in the provided to the group by WDFW — wild steelhead data, hatchery data, and wild with the mates of their own choice https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02070 fishery data, and use them to develop The sidebar at right provides a short https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02121 models that more accurately predict explanation from Wild Fish Conservacy https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/0213. the effects of various management ac- dissenting from the QuickSilver report. My advice to WDFW is to strive for tions and enable better goal-setting. The Osprey welcomes a detailed ex- environmental, ethical, and fiscal re- The entire advisory group accepted this planation from members of the advi- sponsibility — let’s get it right with the as true, and that is a QuickSilver recom- sory group on their decision-making steelhead hatcheries and fisheries mendation I wholeheartedly support. process and the rational for waffling on we’ve got before adding more. To be The fact that this is still the case 13 their earlier commitment to WSMZ clear, I share QuickSilver’s vision for a years after Puget Sound wild steelhead source to mouth. “…future in which wild Puget Sound were listed as Threatened under the En- steelhead are no longer threatened with dangered Species Act is indicative of a extinction and are healthy enough to management culture whose fiscal con- support fishing.” There is a time and a straints cause it to prioritize fishing Pete Soverel is Chair of The Osprey place for responsible recreational fish- today ahead of science-based fishery Management and Editorial Committee ing. WDFW currently provides a diver- management that will provide fisheries and founder and President of The Con- sity of angling opportunities for for future generations. servation angler: salmon, trout, steelhead, and other With this observation comes the ques- www.theconservationangler.org. sport fishes; when monitored and man- tion “how then do we move forward to aged responsibly, recreational fisheries restore wild steelhead and the fisheries can be sustainable even as angler de- they can support?” QuickSilver de- mand grows — but that requires con- scribes a diverse portfolio of new Puget Correction and Clarification servative management in the face of Sound steelhead hatchery and fishery uncertainty. Over the past few decades programs to be added on to existing The January 2020 Hits and Misses col- recreational fishing opportunities have ones — an experiment. An effective ex- umn misstated the number of Kla- suffered as wild fish are impacted by periment requires specific testable hy- math River dams to be removed. Four habitat loss, human population growth, potheses; a rigorous, repeatable, and are planned for removal — Iron Gate, climate change, and data-limited fish- well-funded study design built on a COPCO 1 & 2, and J.C. Boyle. The as- ery and hatchery management that is strong understanding of the system sociated cost stated was an estimate slow to respond to changing conditions. you’re studying; experimental controls; of total long-term restoration ex- As WDFW looks to increase opportuni- an evaluation of data prior to imple- penses, not for initial dam removal ties for recreational fishing, the agency mentation (i.e. before-time period); con- and restoration work, which is esti- needs to be thoughtful and realistic, and trolled manipulation of multiple mated at $450 million. See the article may at times need to disappoint today’s independent variables; close measure- beginning on page 10 for a Klamath recreational anglers to meet conserva- River update. Continued on page 22 May 2020 • Issue No. 96 5 Fraser Basin Summer Steelhead Collapse Canada’s government unwilling to support effective conservation measures

By Scott Simpson

raser River late-run summer sectors. The province is responsible for eries stock assessment biologist Robert steelhead is a group of 10 dis- ostensibly freshwater species such as Bison said the returns were “the lowest crete spawning stocks dis- rainbow, cutthroat and bull trout. Steel- spawning population estimates” in 41 tributed in the Fraser River head, as seagoing rainbow, are man- years in the Thompson and 47 years for watershed above Hell’s Gate aged by the province through its Fish the Chilcotin). (https://www.fraser- Fin the Fraser Canyon. They’re com- and Wildlife Branch. The Department basin.bc.ca/_Library/TR/ts_2017_oct_st monly known as the Thompson and of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) atus_update.pdf) The Branch counted Chilcotin steelhead. Thompson fish, in however, is the senior regulator and 260 spawners in the Thompson system, particular, have long been celebrated final arbiter in all allocation disputes. and 180 in the Chilcotin. For both internationally by sport fishermen for Beginning in 1989, the British Colum- rivers, the stocks were in a state of ‘Ex- their exceptional size and tenacity, and bia Fish and Wildlife Branch made wild treme Conservation Concern,’ Bison for the challenges associated with fish- steelhead release of Interior Fraser wrote. ing for them in one of the largest and Public interest and scrutiny about the most powerful rivers in British Colum- state of these steelhead populations in- bia. Fraser basin summer tensified after December 7, 2017, when These unique fish may have finally the Committee on the Status of Endan- met their match. Over the last three steelhead returns have gered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) generations, the return of spawners to announced it was undertaking an emer- the Thompson has fallen 79 percent, to fallen to 10 percent of gency assessment of Interior Fraser the Chilcotin 81 percent, and these In- steelhead. COSEWIC is an independent terior Fraser stocks now stand at less their historical advisory panel of Canadian scientists than 10 percent of their estimated abun- and other wildlife biology experts who dance 40 years ago. In spite of this, abundance. Yet DFO advise the Canadian government about Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) threats to Canadian wildlife. Species de- continues to work to facilitate commer- continues to support termined to be at risk of extinction are cial salmon fisheries that intercept ma- commercial salmon considered for inclusion under the ture adult steelhead hundreds of Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA), kilometers from their spawning fishing that intercepts which provides broad protections to grounds. threatened Canadian wildlife. These interception fisheries take adult steelhead. In a letter to the federal government, place in coastal areas north of the COSEWIC chair Rick Taylor, a Univer- Fraser River confluence with the Strait sity of BC zoology professor, pointed to of Georgia, off the west coast of Van- steelhead mandatory. There is no hatch- recent “biological information indicat- couver Island and finally, in the lower ery augmentation, and its introduction ing that there is an imminent threat to Fraser itself. Steelhead co-migrate is strongly resisted by the Branch as the survival of the species” as underly- through these areas with commercially well as most conservation groups. In ing the decision to undertake the emer- targeted runs of Pacific salmon. In ma- 2008 and 2010, full recreational fishing gency assessment. The announcement rine areas, steelhead bycatch happens closures were imposed, with re-open- came just weeks after DFO-sanctioned during seine fisheries targeting prima- ings keyed to in-season migration esti- commercial fisheries in 2017 removed rily chum and late-run sockeye. In the mates obtained through steelhead 55 Thompson steelhead from a record Fraser River, steelhead are intercepted interceptions during a weekly salmon low pre-fishery estimated abundance of during commercial and Indigenous gill- test fishery in the lower Fraser River. 205 steelhead, and 17 Chilcotin steel- net openings for chum, a species which The primary objective of the test fish- head from a record low estimated adult relies on the lower river for about 80 ery at Albion is to gauge salmon migra- spawner return of 94. percent of its annual spawning. tion volumes for the purpose of COSEWIC followed up in February In Canada, responsibility for manage- commercial fishery openings. 2018, notifying federal Environment ment of anadromous species is divided, The depth of the Interior Fraser steel- Minster Catherine McKenna that it had sometimes awkwardly, between the head collapse became evident after the assessed both Thompson and Chilcotin provincial and federal governments. Branch carried out spawner surveys in steelhead as Endangered and recom- The feds are responsible for manage- early 2017 to assess returns to Thomp- mended an Emergency Order placing ment of all five species of Pacific son tributaries and the Chilcotin for fall them on Schedule 1 of the Species at salmon, deciding allocations to com- 2016. In the final post-season assess- Risk Act. “In summary, bycatch in commercial, recreational and Indigenous ment, Fish and Wildlife Branch fish- Continued on next page 6 The Osprey Continued from previous page mercial Pacific salmon fisheries and poor ocean conditions are causing high mortality for both [Thompson and Chilcotin] units of Steelhead Trout resulting in steep past, and projected future, declines,” Taylor said. “Projections of continuing declines in ocean habitat quality indicate that the precipitous declines in Steelhead Trout will continue unless bycatch mortality in commercial Pacific salmon fisheries is eliminated.” The fisheries department rejected COSEWIC’s recommendation and sanctioned a fall 2018 gillnet opening for chum in the lower Fraser River. As it was explained on June 5, 2019 to the federal government’s Parliamen- tary Committee on Fisheries by DFO Pacific Region Director General Re- becca Reid, the fisheries department planned to manage impacts on Interior Fraser steelhead in 2018 through expanded “conservation measures” including “a series of 27-day window closures to salmon fisheries designed to cover the time period over which approximately 90 percent of the Thomp- son and Chilcotin steelhead migrate. Closures were applied to all commercial and recreational fisheries targeting salmon in freshwater, and to some commercial gillnet fisheries in marine waters. In-river aboriginal food, social and ceremonial fisheries using gillnet gear were also reduced by 50 percent during this period.” The 2018 commercial bycatch impact Major stock groups of steelhead trout in the Fraser River system (E=approximate on the steelhead was estimated using mean annual escapement in the 1990s.) Source Ministry of Environment, Land and Albion test fishing data, at 20 percent Parks, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (1998) on both Thompson and Chilcotin spawners. Indigenous exploitation was esti- pounds in 2019 compared with 11.9 mil- tion of conservation concerns for Inte- mated at eight percent for Thompson lion pounds in 2008.) rior Fraser steelhead, a 2018 MSC audit spawners and 20 percent for Chilcotin The salmon collapse heralded a col- report included 65 mentions of steel- spawners. lapse of efforts by the BC commercial head and a Condition (#14) that within Reid told the Committee that DFO in salmon fleet to have their product des- four years, proponents of the southern 2019 was planning to facilitate future ignated as sustainable. The Canadian BC fishery including the Fraser River commercial fisheries that would in- Pacific Sustainable Seafood Society, demonstrate those stocks are “highly clude steelhead bycatch. Conservation representing processors and exporters likely” to be above the point at which groups protested, in particular, the in- of BC salmon, announced on October 4, recruitment of the stocks are impaired nate conflict of interest facing commer- 2019 that it was withdrawing from the by commercial activity, or that fishing cial and Indigenous fishing groups, sustainable fishery certification activities do not hinder the recovery which would be self-reporting steel- process established internationally by and rebuilding of the stocks. head interceptions. the London-based Marine Stewardship The MSC’s requirements appear to be It was only because of a simultaneous Council. MSC certification is a key mar- an insurmountable obstacle to the “al- collapse of Lower Fraser chum, pre- keting tool for fish processors seeking lowable harm” risk methodology DFO saged by other weak runs along the access to high-end international employs to predict the amount of com- south coast, that DFO did not open the seafood markets. mercial interception Thompson River Fraser for chum fishing in fall 2019. The BC salmon fishery had been re- steelhead spawners can sustain without Salmon stocks throughout BC were at certified by the MSC as recently as compromising chances to maintain or multi-decade lows, with the commercial April 2017. Although the Seafood Soci- recover their population. salmon catch 3.4 times lower than the ety’s news release excluded any men- next-worst year since 1951 (3.5 million Continued on next page May 2020 • Issue No. 96 7 Continued from previous page fish, “I was told by an upper manager, between two senior provincial bureau- Conservation groups including the who’s no longer with the department, crats included this remark: “DFO’s con- Steelhead Society of British Columbia that it was irresponsible to ask research servation of biodiversity may be have suggested the federal govern- questions that could potentially result impeded by its relationship with indus- ment’s actions align with a popular def- in negative economic ramifications on try.” The email cites the Proboszcz ar- inition of insanity — doing the same an industry if we did not already know ticle, stating “we’re not alone on the thing over and over and expecting a dif- the answer.” process concerns associated with ferent result. The DFO methodology in- In April 2018 a science advisor with CSAS.” corporated, as recently as 2019, a conservation group Watershed Watch That exchange was captured as part built-in assumption that 20 percent of Salmon Society, Stan Proboszcz, ex- of a 1,600-page package of BC govern- Interior Fraser steelhead would be in- pressed strong reservations about the ment and DFO documents and emails tercepted during spawning migration. close relationship between DFO and the made public as the result of a Freedom DFO’s schedule for the 2020 Integrated Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. of Information request by the BC Fisheries Management Plan calls for The secretariat is a branch of the fish- Wildlife Federation. A key aspect of the public release of plans in June 2020. eries department. Each year it coordi- FOI documents is the outrage and frus- DFO’s ongoing support for industry, nates about 100 science advisory tration expressed by provincial civil to the detriment of weakened individual processes on topics such as species at servants after learning that DFO al- populations of salmon and steelhead, is risk. The documents it produces osten- tered several key findings of a science a matter of record. sibly discuss prospects for recovery or report (‘Research Document’) on meas- In 2012, after two-and-a-half years of exploitation of marine species that may ures necessary to conserve what was public inquiry, British Columbia be facing extirpation or extinction. left of Interior Fraser steelhead popu- Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen released a monumental three-volume ex- amination of reasons for the collapse of sockeye in the Fraser River. In the executive summary of his report, Justice Cohen noted that “In relation to wild fisheries, DFO’s paramount regulatory objective is the conservation of Fraser River sockeye salmon and other wild fish species. . . Still, I heard evidence of confusion on DFO’s part respecting its paramount regulatory objective. For example, several DFO witnesses testi- fied about the need for DFO’s Science Branch to provide advice to its ‘clients’ rather than focusing on research to support the department’s conservation mandate.” The Justice’s observation was soon after echoed by The Royal Society of Canada, the nation’s highest arbiter on matters of science. A group of Society scientists in 2012 produced a report, A view of the Thompson River, a tributary of the Fraser River, where summer Sustaining Canadian Marine Biodiver- steelhead runs have experienced an unprecedented crash. Photo courtesy Aaron sity, recommending “the Government Goodis Photography, www.aarongoodisphotography.com of Canada reduce the discretionary power in fisheries management deci- “CSAS professes to follow the Govern- lations. In particular, unidentified par- sions exercised by the Minister of Fish- ment of Canada’s Science Advice for ties within federal fisheries introduced eries and Oceans.” The group included Government Effectiveness guidelines, language to downplay the positive ben- a former senior salmon research biolo- yet seems to violate a stated core prin- efits of eliminating commercial inter- gist with the fisheries department. ciple around transparency and open- ceptions and changed the focus of the Concerns about conflicts of interest ness. Having a science advisory report to create the impression the cur- within DFO persist even within the fish- process that is at arm’s length from rent level of commercial interception is eries department itself. On November DFO could improve the integrity of the acceptable. 30, 2016, Kristi Miller-Saunders, head of science advice produced on fisheries is- The peer-reviewed Research Docu- molecular genetics at DFO’s Pacific Bi- sues. Good advice is critical at a time ment was written by three fisheries biological Station, made an appearance when many salmon stocks are in de- ologists, one each from the provincial before the federal government’s Stand- cline,” Proboszcz said in an opinion and federal governments and one from ing Committee on Fisheries and piece for Policy Options, an online mag- the private sector with the expectation Oceans. Miller-Saunders noted that in azine dedicated to discussion of Cana- it would form the basis of a Science Ad- 2012 when she began her research, dian public policy issues,” visory Report (SAR) for action to ad- which involves transmission of A December 14, 2018 email exchange pathogens between wild and farmed Continued on next page 8 The Osprey Continued from previous page continue. On July 9, 2019, the federal factors are too poor.” cabinet overrode the Environment Min- Bison also focuses on spawning inter- dress the Interior Fraser steelhead col- ister’s recommendation for a SARA list- actions between steelhead and resident lapse. According to The Vancouver Sun ing. rainbows in the Thompson, revealing (Feb. 25, 2019, ‘DFO buried scientists’ The Government said “the most effec- that steelhead recovery opportunities concerns’) the Document “was vetted tive approach to the conservation of are more robust and complex than the by 42 experts from government, acade- Chilcotin and Thompson River Steel- Salmon Action Plan is prepared to con- mia, First Nations and conservation head is to continue to influence human front. groups.” activities using existing legislative One of the opportunities Bison sees The Research Document was never tools, and complementary measures for recovery is the tendency of resident publicly released, with DFO diverging (e.g. habitat restoration projects), that Thompson and Chilcotin rainbow trout from government policy by releasing can be implemented collaboratively to contribute to steelhead reproduction. only an internally developed SAR sum- with others without making an Emer- Thompson fish have been studied three mary of it. (BC Wildlife Federation FOI gency Listing Order to add Chilcotin times, in 2006, 2010 and 2011, to con- Analysis of Evidence and Thompson River Steelhead to the firm this tendency. In 2006, based on a https://bcwf.bc.ca/wp- List of Wildlife Species at Risk set out run of about 2,500 spawners, a sampling content/uploads/2019/09/Analysis-of-Ev- in Schedule 1 of SARA.” of steelhead parr found 22 percent idence-of-Emergency-Listing-Process-o The controversy over DFO’s actions came from rainbow mothers. In 2010, n-Steelhead.pdf) is likely to persist with each future fish- based on a return of 600 spawners, the Significantly, the FOI documents indi- ery opening, despite promises in a DFO- split was close to 50-50 between steel- cate, unknown parties within DFO al- led ‘Steelhead Action Plan’ announced head and rainbow mothers. In 2011, the tered the scientists’ work without their in July 2019. Branch collected some Thompson steel- knowledge or consent and sent a re- https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries- head kelts that were either dead or vised SAR “directly to the CSAS chair.” oceans/news/2019/07/government-of- dying and sampled them to determine When the provincial government at- canada-and-province-of-british-columbi who their mothers were. Among the fe- tempted to intervene to reverse the a-partner-to-take-bold-action-to-con- males, half came from steelhead moth- changes, they were told that “time had serve-steelhead-trout.html ers and half from rainbow mothers. run out.” (BCWF FOI, letter to DFO Pa- (Note, similar plans have been devel- Among the males, the ratio was about cific Region Director Rebecca Reid oped at least as far back as 1998 the same,” Bison reported. from Tom Ethier, Assistant Deputy http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/docs/P The conclusion here is that no matter Minister, Ministry of Forests, Lands rovincial-Framework-for-Steelhead- what reasons DFO may put forward for and Natural Resource Operations). Management-in-BC-April-2016.pdf persisting with commercial bycatch Josh Korman of Ecometric Research page 2) fisheries, the potential to recover Inte- in an email to his co-authors, Robert Three months after the Steelhead Ac- rior Fraser steelhead populations con- Bison of the Fish and Wildlife Branch tion Plan was announced, the Wildlife tinues as long as there are rainbows and Scott Decker of DFO, asked “What Federation and other conservation upstream to contribute. happened? From the outside it looks groups wrote a letter to DFO Pacific “The crash of Interior Fraser Steel- like fisheries management got to belly Region Director Rebecca Reid protest- head is one of the biggest fisheries sto- up to the SAR bar after closing!” ing the department’s decision to with- ries of this century,” Steelhead Society Decker, in an email to Korman said draw funding for a program supporting of BC director Poul Bech told the House “Looks like the change in wording in independent monitoring of bycatch dur- of Commons Standing Committee on the SAR around recovery projects is in- ing commercial fisheries (Letter, Re- Fisheries and Oceans on June 5, 2019. tended to down-grade the impact of ex- becca Reid re Fraser Chum Fisheries, “The world is watching our efforts, or ploitation.” October 16, 2019). lack of effort, to recover these endan- The SAR report proposes a (post-in- The Steelhead Action Plan overlooks gered fish.” terception) recovery target of 938 trends identified through decades of “Steelhead populations cannot endure spawners for Thompson steelhead and steelhead research in British Columbia by-catch mortality of 20 percent or a target of 562 to 744 Chilcotin steel- and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest even 10 percent. These days you can’t head — but persists with the doctrine of by researchers inside and outside the schedule a gill net opening without in- enabling continued commercial and In- BC Fisheries Branch. BC stock assess- cidentally impacting one or more digenous interception on current, cri- ment biologist Robert Bison suggests threatened salmon stocks. The increas- sis-level populations. “Allowable harm the most effective method of getting ing number of weak stocks itself is evi- should not be permitted to exceed cur- more steelhead onto spawning groups dence that status-quo management has rent levels and should be reduced to the — by orders of magnitude — is a cull of failed. But DFO continues to protect the maximum extent possible,” the report harbour seals in the Strait of Georgia. status quo.” said. It would also be the most controversial. The DFO-altered SAR report provided Other actions including habitat restora- CSAS with a framework for its Recov- tion, hatchery augmentation and even ery Potential Assessment for Chilcotin removal of commercial bycatch pro- Author Scott Simpson is a former jour- River and Thompson River steelhead. vide substantially less benefit. nalist and fisheries beat writer. He is The CSAS Assessment, ostensibly rep- Nonetheless, he said, halting bycatch- also on the Board of Directors of the resenting the best available science, related spawner mortalities is a corner- Steelhead Society of British Columbia, favoured DFO’s efforts to allow com- stone. “You can’t recover a steelhead one of The Osprey’s partner organiza- mercial and Indigenous gillnet inter- population into the thousands while tions. Learn more about them at: ception of Interior Fraser steelhead to fishing continues. The other survival http://www.steelheadsociety.org May 2020 • Issue No. 96 9 Klamath River Dams: Where are we today? Stakeholders move forward with plans for removal and restoration

By Dr. Mark Rockwell

know that the recovery of moved by 2020. This agreement did not fiCorp will continue to operate the salmon and steelhead is center include a basin restoration plan, which dams in the interim. The figure on the stage today on most fly fishers was part of the earlier agreement and opposite page shows current timeline conservation agenda. We have to date — there still isn’t one. This and listing of action items to accom- been reading for several years meant water sharing was not included, plish this task. Inow that populations are in decline, and and is left to tribal stakeholders, irriga- Please know that even though this on the verge of collapse. That is cer- tors and the Bureau of Reclamation to looks like relatively few actions are tainly true for wild salmonids in most develop. needed, the complexity of these actions all western rivers. The Klamath was Shortly following the 2016 agreement is very high, and community-wide once the third most productive river be- a corporation was formed, the Klamath agreement on removal is not reality. hind the Columbia/Snake system and River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), Over the years since 2016 much work the Sacramento/San Joaquin. In the and it has been active since doing all has been done by KRRC, the tribes, early part of the 20th Century, two the due diligence for dam removal. non-governmental organizations dams were put in on the middle Kla- http://www.klamathrenewal.org. The (NGOs) including Fly Fishers Interna- math, Copco No. 1 (constructed in 1916) job of KRRC is: remove the dams, re- tional, as well as state and federal agen- and Copco No. 2 (1925). Then in 1958, J C Boyle was completed, and in 1964 Iron Gate Dam was finished. None of them had fish passage, resulting in lack of access to historical spawning and rearing habitat mostly in Oregon. Iron Gate hatchery was built in 1960 to mitigate for that loss, but like most western anadromous fish river hatcheries, it did not work well, and has con- tributed to declines of genetic integrity in the remaining wild fish populations. In 2002 PacifiCorp, owner of the dams, faced a federal hydropower reli- censing process that required up-grad- ing them to current environmental standards, which included fish passage. That started a long and protracted community negotiation beginning in 2005 about the dams (Hydropower Settle- ment) as well as water sharing and other issues facing the watershed (Basin Restoration Agreement). On Sept. 29, 2009, PacifiCorp reached agreement with the other 44 negotiation partners, and the agreements were signed by all in early 2010. This included Basin watershed restoration through the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), four dams to be removed as agreed by the Klamath Hy- droelectric Settlement Agreement The Klamath Dam removal and restoration project area encompasses the Klamath (KHSA), and a fixed water sharing plan. River basin in California and Oregon. Map courtesy Klamath River Renewal Cor- The deal had to be approved by the US poration. Congress, but did not act and the plan terminated in 2016. store formerly inundated lands, and im- cies and PacifiCorp to get the plan In September, 2016 the parties plement required mitigation measures across the finish line. The current reached a second agreement on a re- in compliance with all applicable fed- major challenge is getting the Federal moval plan for the four dams to be re- eral, state, and local regulations. Paci- Continued on next page 10 The Osprey Continued from previous page what’s needed to become the licensee. One last issue to discuss is the hatch- In February 2020, KRRC submitted ad- ery operation on the Klamath. Iron Energy Regulatory Commission ditional information to FERC demon- Gate Hatchery, on the lowest of the four (FERC) to approve license transfer strating the project is within the dams that serves as its namesake, will from PacifiCorp to KRRC, which will available $450 million if undertaken on be decommissioned with little expecta- lead to license surrender and facilities the current timeline, and provided a tion of re-opening. An existing hatch- removal. plan for additional funding if needed. ery on Fall Creek, a tributary to the On June 28, 2018, KRRC submitted the Today, everyone is waiting on FERC Klamath just upriver from Iron Gate, “Definite Plan for the Lower Klamath to finally issue the license transfer. will be upgraded to pick up the slack, Project” to FERC for the removal of the Dam removal is currently scheduled to but cannot produce the 5 million smolts four dams. Because of the long passage begin in January 2022, with pre-re- as Iron Gate hatchery did. Fall Creek of time since the original agreement in moval work to begin in 2021. As such, capacity will be about 3 million. In the 2009 and other factors, it was not clear it is critical that FERC issue its ap- plan, the hatchery is a ‘transition’ to FERC that issues around cost and li- proval for License transfer in 2020 in hatchery, meaning it will be used only ability were totally accounted for. So, order to keep everything yet to be com- while in-river wild spawning gets estab- FERC replied to KRRC with a series of pleted on track. It is well past time for lished. It will cease operation once wild questions to provide clarity that the FERC to act, and recent letters from spawning is established and productive project was still feasible. In the origi- Senators, Governor of California and at levels equal to today’s river produc- nal agreement there was a commitment others asking for action are sitting on tion. by PacifiCorp to contribute $200 million FERC’s desktop. The KRRC CEO, Mark The Fall Creek hatchery is funded for for removal and restoration, and an ad- Bransom, has stated, “Our project is on only 8 years, and could close early if ditional $250 million contribution from track, within budget, and ready to roll”. river production goals are met. California. That money has been se- In recent days the California Water Re- This has been a long and arduous cured by rate-payer contributions from sources Control Board has issued a sec- process for those of us who have been PacifiCorp, and a water bond from Cal- tion 401 water quality certification involved. The goal from the start was ifornia. In July, 2019, KRRC submitted approval for the removal, and Oregon to restore the river, its fisheries, and their response to FERC, which will had done so in 2018. allow FERC to determine if KRRC has Continued on next page May 2020 • Issue No. 96 11 Continued from previous page was required as long as it left all of us commissioning can happen together, feeling whole. We knew it was for the and most of this will be accomplished find peace in the basin for its residents greater good — for the fishery, farm by using existing infrastructure at the — Tribes, farmers, ranchers, and the families, tribal food and cultural needs, facilities. Once drawdown is low recreational community. The Klamath downstream communities, commercial enough, teardown will begin. has a long history of conflict over water fishers, recreational anglers, and the In addition to facilities removal the because consistent precipitation has health of the entire Klamath basin wa- project includes watershed restoration, never been reality. As with so many tershed. such as new trees and vegetation western rivers, finding balance be- Since the negotiating ended, some of planted throughout the project lands. tween human need and environmental us who ‘cut their teeth’ on this cam- Fishery and sediment monitoring will need is hard. It was not easy here, but paign have moved on to work on similar start at the beginning and continue persistence, understanding and good efforts on the Rogue River in Oregon, through well after the project is done. people have made it happen. and the Smith and Eel rivers in Califor- Removal of old recreational facilities There were lessons learned that I feel nia. The lessons learned have helped us around the project is included, as well can be applied in other watersheds. all to better understand the needs of all as road infrastructure improvements. When we started, those at the table had sides, be open to suggestion and The removal and restoration is sched- little trust, were suspicious of each change, and to develop a common vision uled to be completed by the end or 2023 other, and there was very little under- of the future. Working together to find or early 2024. Monitoring and adaptive management will continue well into 2024, and perhaps beyond. Also included in this project is water supply improvements for the city of Yreka, California. Lastly, community outreach and en- gagement is critically important and will last well into 2024. It’s critical to communicate the progress of the de- commissioning, restoration, watershed riparian recovery, as well as fishery status, and to keep all communities en- gaged in progress and in touch with the project. The goal is to keep everyone whole, and to do everything possible to elimi- nate river barriers to anadromous fish travel up and down the river. The two remaining dams on the river in Oregon, Keno and Link River, both have adequate fish passage, so access to the tributaries of upper Klamath Lake will be If dam removal and restoration goes as planned, anglers will once again see open. Oregon says it is ready for the ar- healthy runs of wild salmon and steelhead on the Klamath River. Photo by Dr. rival! Mark Rockwell We continue to be hopeful that removal stays on schedule, and we see re- standing of what “the other side” moval begin as planned in 2022. We’re needed. Hundreds of meetings, calls common ground is key to success, but optimistic this is the beginning of re- and thousands of emails flowed be- you cannot compromise your values, or covery of a river that has been dam- tween us, and what developed over time the needs of what it takes for the water- aged for 100 years. were relationships. We’d negotiate in shed to be healthy. Science based pol- the day, and have a beer and burger to- icy needs to lead, not politics or gether in the evening. We got to know personal agendas. each other and discovered we had more in common than we thought, and a sim- Additional Details of the Dr. Mark Rockwell is President of the ilar vision developed — people, wildlife Klamath Project Fly Fishers International Northern Cal- and fish living together in harmony on ifornia Council and Vice-President for the land given to us by our Creator. The dams will come out almost simul- Conservation. He is a major participant Farmers and ranchers wanted enough taneously, which will speed the process, in developing the agreement among the water to run their business, and NGO’s but it is very difficult to accomplish. various stakeholders to remove the four and tribes wanted enough water flow in Drawdown of the stored water behind lower Klamath River dams. the river to recover the historical fish- the dams will start early, with Copco FFI is one of The Osprey’s partner or- eries, and to carry on tribal traditions. No. 1 starting in November, 2020. Then ganizations. Learn more about them at: We came together and recognized we J.C. Boyle and Iron Gate will start si- https://flyfishersinternational.org all had to feel our basic needs were met, multaneously on January 1, 2022, and fi- and we recognized that compromise nally Copco No. 2 on May 1, 2022. Water will be diverted around the dams so de- 12 The Osprey A Monumental (Task) Force Saving salmon to save Southern Resident orcas

By Colleen Weiler

n March of 2018, Washington when fast and drastic changes upend math River dams, which would boost Governor Jay Inslee initiated everything the orcas rely on to survive: salmon abundance in the southern part the Southern Resident Orca Re- the Southern Residents depend on of their range. The population had covery Task Force in an effort to salmon, especially Chinook, which com- eight new calves born that lived beyond identify state-based solutions to prises the majority of their diet. As their first few months. Hope sprang Ihalt the decline of our region’s Southern salmon abundance has declined, the eternal. Resident orcas. The Task Force set out orcas have followed. With the loss of But habitat protection was delayed, to develop achievable and meaningful their primary food, increasing levels of Congress failed to pass the Klamath actions to improve water quality, re- contaminants, noise, and disturbance, Restoration Agreement, and in a repeat duce vessel noise, rebuild salmon runs, there is a messy, complicated problem of that decline in the early 2010s, and support a healthier ecosystem. to solve to ensure their survival. The salmon populations hit new lows and Over 18 months, the Task Force re- very things that shaped the Pacific orcas started dying. After a difficult viewed information and options for ac- Northwest for present-day life — dams 2016 that included the loss of the world- tion, finally deciding on 49 famous “Granny,” the oldest known recommendations addressing every- member of the population and the ma- thing from shoreline protection for for- When Southern triarch of the entire community, the call age fish to the future of the Task Force for more action was louder than ever. itself, even tackling the impacts of cli- Resident orcas were Along with many of our partners work- mate change and human population ing on orca, salmon, and habitat protec- growth — the massive shadows hanging listed as endangered in tion, we were part of that call. over every action for conservation. The Washington Task Force was de- The Southern Resident orca popula- 2005, there were 88. veloped in response to the requests for tion is a distinct group of orcas (killer leadership to take action, and was im- whales) that inhabits the inland waters By 2019 there were mediately met with mixed feelings. of the Salish Sea and coastal waters Some saw it as doomed from the start, from the west coast of Vancouver Is- 73, the lowest in 40 with too much influence from special land to Northern California. They are a interests and people on opposing sides unique community with their own dis- years of surveys. of long-controversial issues. I was distinct culture, diet, and behavior that, appointed that the large and diverse along with their specific genetic code, membership of the Task Force included differentiates them from other groups on rivers, agricultural and industrial relatively few focused on the orcas of orcas found in the Pacific Northwest development, urbanization, Amazon themselves — only a handful of mem- and from all other orcas in the world. shipments — have fundamentally bers were from orca-related organiza- They are a population of “Resident” changed the ecosystem that Southern tions. Three Working Groups dedicated type orcas, defined by their diet of fish Resident orcas need to survive. to the primary threats — prey deple- and their large, close-knit family When the Southern Residents were tion, toxics, and vessel impacts — that groups led by elder females. “Tran- listed as endangered in 2005, there helped compile information and sug- sient” or “Bigg’s” orcas specialize on were 88 orcas. At the start of the Task gestions for the main body were more other marine mammals, live in smaller Force, there were 76. As of the end of diverse, but precious time was spent in groups, and range more widely than 2019, there are 73 — the lowest in over both the Working Groups and the Task their very distant cousins. A third type, 40 years of recording exact population Force rehashing basic, well-established the “Offshore” orcas, live farther out at abundance for this small community. information about the orcas and threats sea and appear to rely on fish and As the Jessica Rekos Fellow for Orca to their survival. sharks as their main diet. Conservation with the nonprofit Whale Despite the initial doubt, I and many Although these different orcas live in and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), my others were optimistic that the Task the same area of the Pacific, they sel- focus is specific to protecting orcas and Force would be a force for good and dom overlap and even actively avoid recovering endangered populations like would enact real change, and consider each other. These divisions have lasted the Southern Residents. When I first the needs of the orcas first. With all the for hundreds of thousands of years, and started in 2014, the Southern Residents benefits of hindsight, I still think we reflect the remarkable productivity and had been through a rough few years, weren’t wrong to be hopeful. The Task diversity of food in this area: orcas dropping from 89 orcas in 2011 to only Force was the biggest and most concen- evolved to be specialists on a particular 77 in 2014. But things were looking up. trated effort that’s ever happened to de- prey. That specialization can be a hand- There were proposals to protect their velop collaborative solutions for the icap in the face of modern threats, coastal habitat and to remove the Kla- Continued on next page May 2020 • Issue No. 96 13 Continued from previous page and better monitoring of zooplankton growth and economy in the Pacific and forage fish. There are significant, Northwest. Breaching the dams has threats facing Southern Resident orcas important, meaningful actions included been seen as an essential action to re- and the ecosystem that supports them in the Task Force report. But of course, cover endangered salmon populations (and us). The final report –— with 36 it is far from perfect, and the devil is al- for decades, and the Southern Resi- recommendations in the first year and ways in the details. The Task Force did dents have been a bigger part of the de- an additional 13 in year two –—includes not go far enough in some areas, left bate in recent years as more has been strong actions to recover salmon, pro- some important issues on the cutting learned about the importance of those tect habitat, reduce toxics, and mitigate room floor, and included some question- early spring Chinook to the orcas. Orca vessel impacts. Of course, the work is able recommendations likely by “spe- researchers studying their movement far from over, and now our job is mak- cial request” of some members. and diet in coastal waters have found ing sure those recommendations are As always when discussing salmon re- that they spend a significant amount of implemented and lead to positive recovery, there was insistence that the time outside the mouth of the Columbia sults. problem could “easily” be solved by in- River as spring Chinook gather to re- Many options and ideas were dis- creasing hatchery production and turn, and studies examining seasonal cussed during deliberations, though not killing seals and sea lions. However, changes in the general health of the all made it into the final report. Some neither of those concepts is supported orcas indicate that these fatty, highly- topics, like climate change, were sim- by the best available science. Hatchery nutritious Chinook are an essential ply too far beyond the scope of the Task source of food in the otherwise lean Force to result in significant changes. winter months. However, it is helpful to recognize the Many orca advocates hoped that the impacts on salmon and orcas. Making As always when Task Force would include a recommen- the connection with the survival of dation to breach the lower Snake River these beloved regional icons can en- discussing salmon dams or direct the state to take action courage much-needed attention and re- recovery, there was on the issue. It may have been asking sources toward climate change actions too much for such a major decision with — things we know we need to do, like insistence that the so many additional needs to consider – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and — energy, transport, irrigation — to be increasing habitat resiliency, but need problem could be made in the relatively short time frame additional motivation to enact. of the Task Force, especially with all The climate change recommendations “easily” solved by the other topics on the agenda. The and many of the actions suggested by Snake River dams probably require a the Task Force built upon known or ex- increasing hatchery Task Force or two of their own! Like isting efforts to recover salmon and im- some other issues that a few members prove Pacific Northwest ecosystems. production. of the Task Force were unwilling to Just like we know what Southern Resi- even discuss, the Snake River dams dents need to survive, we have a pretty were at risk of being left in the “sugges- good idea how to help wild salmon, too. tions” pile. However, the sheer volume But those actions often require funda- fish can negatively impact wild salmon of public comment and input about the mental changes to how we live in and recovery and are themselves smaller Snake River dams demanded that the interact with our environment, and and less fatty, with less nutritional Task Force do something. those changes are not only scary to value for the orcas. Ramping up hatch- The resulting recommendation — a make, they often lack the resources and ery production without careful plan- stakeholder forum to solicit input from political will needed to enact them. For ning and consideration to reduce the affected communities, concerned indi- example, salmon recovery is chroni- impacts on wild salmon does not help viduals, and state and tribal leaders — cally underfunded in Washington state; long-term recovery. Killing seals and was somewhat of a compromise. It ac- and although policies directing “no net sea lions is unlikely to have any impact knowledged that a future without the loss” of habitat in development exist, on salmon abundance, and as generalist Snake River dams might exist, but was we fall woefully short of meeting that predators they eat many things, so this not the definitive decision on breaching goal. The work of the Task Force to action may increase the abundance of that most people wanted to see. While clearly connect the survival of South- salmon-eating fish and cause unin- it seems like a very minor step, it is one ern Resident orcas with the necessary tended ecosystem consequences. But in the right direction. The forum cre- big, structural changes needed to ad- recommendations supporting both ated an opportunity for people to share dress climate change and improve habi- these actions were included, while any concerns and ideas outside of the fed- tat protection makes the need feel real discussion of changes in harvest man- eral reviews and courtrooms that have and immediate. Watching the plight of agement or protecting key orca forag- dominated the debate for decades, and these orcas brings a spotlight to the ing areas was quickly shut down. allowed people to discuss the impacts of work we know we need to do. Not surprisingly, the biggest point of dam removal and offer suggestions and In addition to the recommendations contention, within the Task Force itself information about mitigation options – included to address climate change, and in public perception of it, was ac- —what might be needed if the dams habitat loss, and human population tion on the lower Snake River dams. were breached. Stakeholders and the growth, smaller changes were also out- The dams have been controversial public were able to start a more collab- lined that will make a big difference: since they were built, with significant orative dialogue about a potential tran- simple actions such as slowing boats impacts on Snake River salmon and sition to a restored Snake River. down around the orcas to reduce noise, steelhead but also helping to shape the Continued on next page 14 The Osprey Continued from previous page The Task Force recognized that South- to decline. The Task Force itself recog- ern Residents need abundant, diverse, nized this, and included recommenda- The final report from the stakeholder and accessible resources of Chinook, tions to ensure continued oversight and forum was released in March of this and explored what Washington needed management — although that, too, will year, but it’s unclear what the next to do to make that happen. And instead require effort to implement. After the steps will be. The initiative received of reinventing the wheel, the recom- first year, extensive work went into en- funding for two years of work, and mendations emphasize the connection gaging the state legislature to initiate while the forum and report provide a of Southern Resident orca recovery to just a handful of the many actions that helpful stepping stone in the process, actions known to be effective that are require legislation or additional fund- more collaboration and discussion often underfunded or resource-limited. ing. There were some big wins — about the Snake River is obviously Ultimately, what the Southern Resi- salmon habitat restoration projects re- needed — particularly since the latest dent orcas need to survive is simple: ceived more funding than they have in federal review on Columbia River Sys- plenty of food, clean water, and a safe the last two decades, but the funding is tem Operations doesn’t do much to home. We generally know what is short-term, and does not guarantee con- change status quo conditions. The needed to achieve those goals, but, as tinued action. We need secure, reliable, clearest outcome of the report is that noted, these seemingly straightforward long-term support, especially in fight- ing the ongoing battles of habitat loss and climate change. I remain hopeful and optimistic about the future of the Task Force recommendations. Optimism is a necessary out- look when working on endangered species recovery, because the alternative is just too bleak. WDC and many other conservation groups and caring individuals are committed to keeping the pressure on agencies and elected officials to make sure the report doesn’t end up sitting forgotten on a shelf. The process was frustrating at times and the Task Force struggled to include public input from the beginning, but the end result is a comprehensive and detailed package that I believe can really make a difference for salmon and Southern Resident orcas — as long as we do our part to see it through.

Chinook salmon make up a major portion of Southern Resident orcas’ food souce. As salmon abundance has declined, so has the orca population. Photo courtesy Whale and Dolphin Conservation Colleen Weiler has been the Jessica Rekos Fellow for Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) since 2014. Her while people may still disagree on the solutions can be complex, messy, and work concentrates on identifying effec- future of the dams, everyone is tired of require big changes and continued active conservation strategies and protec- the endless litigation, gridlock, and the tion on our part. For example, the rec- tive measures for orca populations off uncertain future. For the most part, ommendation to update Washington’s the West Coast of the U.S. and Canada, everyone agrees that they want to re- regulations on shoreline armoring re- especially the endangered Southern cover salmon and Southern Resident quired legislation (passed in 2019 as Resident orca community. Colleen orcas, and that a plan supporting all af- part of a suite of Orca Recovery bills) holds a Masters in Marine Resource fected communities is needed. and is still in the process of final rule- Management from Oregon State Univer- Overall, the majority of the Task making and implementation. It may sity and resides in Newport, Oregon. Force recommendations that focused seem like a simple action, but it re- To learn more about Whale and Dol- on increasing Chinook abundance and quires time to establish and implement phin Conservation, visit their website availability for Southern Resident orcas changes, and continued attention from at: whales.org. For more about the the are comprehensive and reflect the im- the public and stakeholders. Jessica Rekos Fellowship go to: portance of healthy ecosystems for All of the recommendations require https://us.whales.org/the-jessica-rekos- long-term support and recovery. They ongoing vigilance from those involved foundation/ include actions to improve habitat and to ensure that actions have the re- water quality, address barriers to fish sources, funding, and regulatory passage, and increase forage fish — changes needed to make a difference. making sure salmon have what they Without those crucial parts of the puz- need to survive so their abundance can zle, the Southern Residents and the increase and, in turn, support the orcas. habitat that support them will continue May 2020 • Issue No. 96 15 Columbia - Snake River Basin Salmon and Steelhead Crisis 2020

By Joseph Bogaard

n February 28, 2020, the turning point for imperiled salmon and watersheds are unique and causes of federal agencies charged steelhead populations in the Columbia fisheries decline vary widely, in the Co- with protecting and restor- Basin and the many benefits they de- lumbia Basin dams and reservoirs are ing thirteen threatened and liver to the Pacific Northwest commu- the single largest source of human- endangered salmon and nities and ecosystems. caused mortality. Protecting salmon Osteelhead populations in the Columbia from extinction and rebuilding salmon and Snake rivers and their tributaries A brief history of Columbia-Snake abundance will require a multi-pronged released a long-awaited Draft Environ- River salmon and steelhead strategy to be sure, but making some mental Impact Statement (DEIS) only recovery efforts big changes to dam operations and, in to confirm what many had feared. certain cases, removing high-cost, low Rather than learning from past mis- The Columbia Basin was once the value dams must be part of any mean- takes or listening to a long line of fed- most productive salmon and steelhead ingful strategy. eral judges, scientists, economists and landscape on the planet. Not so long Dams have all kinds of harmful im- other experts, the agencies served up ago, adult returns might exceed 15 to 18 pacts on the natural river systems on an only slightly modified version of the million fish — an annual flood swim- which salmon rely. Dams block migra- same costly, ineffective and illegal ap- ming upstream from the Pacific Ocean tion, inundate spawning and rearing proach to salmon recovery they’ve re- into every river and stream they could habitat, slow currents, raise water tem- lied on for the past 25-plus years. peratures, increase predator popula- Given the current administration, this tions, churn up juvenile fish in power “new” draft report surprised few, but is turbines, and more. Forced to swim tremendously disappointing all the All ﬁve federal through stagnant reservoirs to reach same. By deciding to kick the can down the ocean (rather than be pushed there the road rather than digging in to ad- plans for Columbia by a cold free flowing river), the few ju- vance real solutions for Columbia- venile fish that survive arrive at the Pa- Snake salmon and Northwest basin salmon dating cific Ocean with severely depleted communities, we’ll lose more precious energy reserves and are more vulnera- time to actually address this crisis — in- back to the 1990s ble to predation and starvation. creasing the cost, pain and risk for all Declining salmon populations in the involved. Yet, despite the feds’ delivery have been found Columbia first attracted widespread at- of yet another woefully inadequate pro- tention in the 1970s, but it was not until posal, there are some signs of hope. inadequate and illegal. the 1991 when the nation’s first salmon Within the Northwest, new conversa- population was listed for protection tions and leadership are emerging and under the Endangered Species Act, salmon and fishing advocates have an Snake River sockeye. Since then, important role to play to support and reach. Each year these fish would de- twelve other populations in the basin advance this new opportunity. In the liver hundreds of millions of pounds of have been added, including all remain- last 12 to 24 months, for example, some marine-derived nutrients to feed more ing Snake River populations: regional stakeholders and policymak- than 135 other fish and wildlife species spring/summer Chinook, fall Chinook ers have begun exploring opportunities in coastal and freshwater ecosystems. and steelhead as well as sockeye. Today, to bring people together around a com- This massive influx of nutrients over wild fish return to the Columbia and prehensive strategy to protect and re- time quite literally built the North- Snake Rivers at 1-2% of historical lev- cover imperiled native fish populations west’s legendary forests. And, of els and many unique subpopulations and invest in communities in a manner course, salmon have also supported across the basin have disappeared for- that brings everyone forward together. human communities too, for as long as ever. But before we look at these new pos- people have lived here. Despite the impassioned, persistent sibilities, let’s first review how we got The Columbia Basin’s almost unimag- efforts of conservationists and fishing here. This article will briefly review inable fecundity began to unravel last advocates to secure policies that would the history of recovery efforts in the century when the nation’s push to build help salmon survive and recover, the Columbia-Snake system, then examine dams (for power, flood control, com- number of ESA listings rose and fish the federal government’s “new” Draft mercial navigation, water storage) populations fell. Faced with a lack of report (DEIS), and conclude with some reached the Northwest. There are today political leadership and consistent in- recent developments that could, with a more than 400 dams — large and small lot of hard work by many, become a — in the Columbia Basin. And while all Continued on next page 16 The Osprey Continued from previous page tainable costs and missed opportunities Simpson planted his stake in the ground of the feds’ failed approach. In the face before a rapt audience and declared his transigence on the part of federal agen- of seemingly endless litigation, new intention to lead an effort working with cies, the courts proved to be a critical court orders to increase dam ‘spill’, ris- others to find regional solutions that (i) backstop by (i) repeatedly rejecting the ing costs and uncertainty, a new set of recover Idaho’s (Snake River) endan- feds’ illegal recovery plans and (ii) or- problems and pressures surfaced. First, gered salmon and steelhead and (ii) dering the agencies — at the request of already low salmon returns sharply de- help the Bonneville Power Administra- conservation and fishing plaintiffs, the clined beginning in 2015 and today are tion address its growing financial chal- State of Oregon and the Nez Perce at some of their lowest levels on record. lenges. While he did not explicitly Tribe — to provide critical near-term Fish managers recently predicted that endorse dam removal, he did ask the help in the form of ‘spill’. Spill pushes 2020 returns will look a lot like last question — if the dams must be re- water over the dams during the juve- year. As a consequence of this decline, moved to save salmon, he wants to nile out-migration in spring and sum- fishing seasons have been reduced and know what affected communities and mer and delivers the fish to the ocean closed. industries may need as part of a transi- more quickly and safely. Spill has long Second, there’s the plight of the South- tion. Notably, Representative Simpson been opposed by utilities because it di- ern Resident orcas that rely almost ex- is the only Northwest member of Con- verts water from energy-producing tur- clusively on Chinook salmon to survive gress so far to publicly criticize the re- bines and reduces revenue. But it has and reproduce. Scientists confirm that cently-released Draft EIS as bought critical time for at-risk fish pop- Columbia Basin salmon are an impor- inadequate. At a recent House hearing ulations, especially on the Snake River tant food source for the Southern Resi- in D.C. when the Draft EIS was dis- — helping to keep them alive them dents, especially in the winter months cussed, Mr. Simpson spoke up: “Nobody while our region works (we hope!) to when there are few other fish available. mentioned fish. Nobody mentioned develop a lawful, science-based plan The steep Chinook population declines salmon that come back to Idaho, that in that finally protects and recovers these here and across the region are driving the next 15 years, if something isn’t irreplaceable Northwest species. thee orcas toward extinction. The orcas done, they will be extinct. There is no For 25 years, litigation and legal ac- were listed under the ESA in 2006 but doubt about that, they will be extinct… tion has served as the backbone of ad- their numbers have continued to de- You can produce (power) differently. vocates’ recovery efforts. All five cline. Today just 72 whales remain and Everything we do, we can do differ- federal plans for Columbia Basin people in the Northwest and across the ently. Salmon need one thing — they salmon dating back to the 1990s have nation are angry and heartbroken — need a river.” been found inadequate and illegal. and they are mobilizing. So the prob- In early February this year, Governor Three different federal judges — lems keep piling up and more people Kate Brown of Oregon sent a letter to Marsh, Redden and now Simon — have are clamoring for leadership and solu- Inslee to express her interest in work- rejected these plans and ordered agen- tions. Regional policymakers are feeling with Washington State to develop a cies repeatedly back to the drawing ing the heat and beginning to respond. comprehensive regional plan that re- board. The agencies, it turns out, are Back in 2018, for example, after a covers salmon and invests in vital com- terribly slow learners and, as a conse- slew of killer whale deaths and public munities. Brown’s letter acknowledged quence, we’ve spent approximately $18 outcry, Washington State Governor Jay that removing the lower Snake River billion over the past two decades on a Inslee established an Orca Task Force dams presented our very best opportu- series of illegal plans that have ignored to study the situation and issue policy nity to recover its endangered fish pop- law and science in order to shield the recommendations to protect and re- ulations. federal hydrosystem from making cover these iconic whales. Thanks to re- In one more encouraging develop- meaningful reforms needed to restore lentless organizing by advocates and ment, a set of Northwest utilities and salmon and some much-needed balance citizens, Washington State’s initial re- conservation NGOs (including Save in the basin. sistance to discuss the lower Snake Our wild Salmon) started meeting last This extraordinarily expensive and River dams fell apart and the Task fall to explore common ground and op- long-running recovery failure is finally Force ultimately recommended that the portunities for real collaboration and getting the attention it deserves. In governor organize a lower Snake River solutions. While salmon and fishing or- May 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Dams Stakeholder Process as a way to ganizations have long sought dialogue Michael Simon soundly rejected the begin a state-sponsored dialogue about with other stakeholders, most utilities agencies’ last strategy and ordered the costs, benefits and tradeoffs of dam had been content to accept an imperfect them to produce a new lawful plan and removal. That process (again, thanks to status quo — willing to live with uncer- to conduct a comprehensive review in excellent citizen organizing) was subse- tainty and high costs in hopes that the accordance with the National Environ- quently fully funded by the state legis- feds’ next plan might pass legal muster. mental Policy Act (NEPA). As part of lature in 2019. It was directed by a These recent utility/conservation meet- the NEPA process, he required the consultant on behalf of the state over ings produced a letter in late February agencies to analyze lower Snake River the past eight months. A series of stake- 2020 addressed to the four Northwest dam removal as one of several recovery holder interviews and public panel dis- governors calling for their leadership alternatives. The feds spent the last cussions in three river communities to help develop urgent solutions for en- three and half years working on the culminated with a report that was is- dangered salmon, struggling tribal and Draft EIS that was released in late Feb- sued in March. non-tribal communities and the region’s ruary. More on this below. New signs of leadership have also financially stressed energy system. It Fortunately during this same time begun to appear in Idaho and Oregon. In was signed by a set of unusual bedfel- frame, regional leaders and policymak- April 2019 at a salmon recovery confer- lows: eleven Northwest utilities, five ers began to acknowledge the unsus- ence in Boise, Idaho Congressman Mike Continued on next page May 2020 • Issue No. 96 17 Continued from previous page by a number of Republican members of shared solutions that (i) recover abun- Congress, with the notable exception of dant salmon, (ii) invest in vibrant fish- conservation organizations and the Port Rep. Simpson who has criticized it. ing and farming communities, (iii) of Lewiston. The letter was sent just a Northwest Democrats have been silent support a clean, reliable and affordable few days before the feds released their on the report so far. A number of states, regional energy system, and (iv) uphold long-awaited Draft EIS and has been however, submitted comments highly our nation’s responsibilities to North- well received by regional policymak- critical of the DEIS. west Tribes. These are the essential cri- ers, including many members of Con- In a cover letter accompanying Wash- teria of any successful regional gress. ington State’s comments on the DEIS, solution. Governor Inslee notes the plan falls Based on the best scientific and the The federal government’s 2020 Draft short of Washington’s expectations to economic information, Save Our wild EIS for Columbia-Snake restore salmon and calls for an “active, Salmon is convinced that restoring the Salmon and Dams collaborative, and visionary regional lower Snake River by removing its four conversation.” Oregon Governor Kate federal dams is an essential element of Amidst the emerging leadership, new Brown states plainly that the proposed any lawful, effective salmon conversations and calls for a compre- plan “will not meet the expectations and recovery/community investment pack- hensive regional solution — not to men- needs of the citizens of Oregon and the age. And we’re ready to work with oth- tion a global pandemic — the feds’ region, nor provide adequate protection ers on creative solutions that bring Draft EIS landed in the region with a for salmon and steelhead …” She adds: everyone forward together. thud — a throwback to the old, tired “This vision of the future can only be While the regional dialogue has frames and arguments. realized with leadership from and shifted, new conversations are under Its shortcomings are too numerous to strong collaboration with the four way and political leadership is emerg- review here (see link below to learn states (Oregon, Washington, Montana ing, salmon and fishing advocates have more and read select comments from and Idaho).” a lot of hard work ahead to realize this states, tribes and NGOs), but here are a The Nez Perce Tribe’s cover letter to opportunity for educating, organizing, few highlights. The DEIS: Analyzes five their technical DEIS comments is mobilizing, building relationships and alternatives — three are actually worse scathing. It described the Tribes as collaborating. How can you help? for fish than the status quo, one in- “stunned in disappointment with the Northwest policymakers need to hear cludes dam removal, and one focuses on CRSO DEIS. At nearly every stage of from you today! Contact your gover- high spill at all eight federal dams on the NEPA process, opportunities to de- nor’s office and your U.S. Senators and the lower Snake and lower Columbia velop, evaluate, and choose a path of Representative. Ask them to get in- rivers. To its credit, the DEIS does ex- restoration for salmon, steelhead, and volved and actively support bringing plicitly conclude that lower Snake lamprey, and their ecosystems, were people together to develop a compre- River dam removal will deliver the missed, ignored, undermined, or re- hensive solution to recover endangered greatest survival benefits of any of the jected. Genuine consideration of the salmon and invest in affected commu- alternatives. many Indian tribes who live within and nities. You can also stay informed and 1. Analyzes likely impacts to the energy whose homelands make up the present- get involved by visiting SOS’ website system due to the changing climate, but day geography of the CRS, is reflected and contacting our staff. fails to offer any meaningful actions to in the DEIS in only a shallow, cursory address intensifying climate impacts on way.” salmon that are made far worse by the The federal agencies’ next steps: pro- Joseph Bogaard is executive director of presence of the dams and reservoirs. duce a Final EIS in June; issue a Draft Save Our wild Salmon. Learn more 2. Devotes just two paragraphs to Biological Opinion (based on the FEIS) about their work at: Southern Resident orcas, determines in July; and officially adopt the “new” www.wildsalmon.org that they are not adversely affected by plan with a ‘Record of Decision’ in Sep- dam-caused salmon population de- tember. Based on the Draft EIS, and the clines, and moves on. federal government’s clear lack of in- Links to Additional information 3. Includes many analyses — climate, terest in the values and concerns of the energy, salmon and orca science, dam people most impacted this set of issues, SOS website: www.wildsalmon.org removal, transportation and irrigation a new round of litigation seems highly economics — that are plagued by unre- likely. SOS Factsheets and Reports webpage: alistic assumptions, outdated, inaccu- https://tinyurl.com/yclzfytt rate and unsubstantiated costs, and/or New approach, new opportunity? appalling incompleteness. SOS 2020 DEIS summary/ resource 4. Embraces a ‘Preferred Alternative’ But litigation and the continuation of webpage: that is built around a ‘flexible spill pro- a failed status quo is not our region’s https://tinyurl.com/y9hok3os gram’ at the eight federal dams that is only option this time around. The con- already in place. In other words, the versation is changing, leadership is Sign up for SOS newsletters, updates feds spent tens of millions of dollars to emerging and Northwest people — gov- and action alerts: produce an incomplete and inaccurate ernors, members of congress, sover- https://tinyurl.com/ycksmnos report that recommends a strategy that eigns, stakeholders and citizens — have is already occurring and widely under- a choice and a new opportunity. We can Questions? Contact joseph@wildsal- stood to be at best an interim measure. keep riding a costly, illegal merry-go- mon.org The 2020 DEIS and its Preferred Al- round or we can come together based ternative has been publicly embraced on our common interests to craft 18 The Osprey ODFW Establishes No Angling Sanctuaries for Three New Columbia River Thermal Refuges

By Dave Moskowitz

he Oregon Department of tect ESA-listed wild salmonids threat- 84 Bridge, closed to angling from July Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) ened with extinction during their mi- 15 to September 15. has protected wild steel- gration to spawning grounds head and salmon using cold throughout the Columbia and Snake John Day River Thermal Refuge, down- water refuges at the mouth Rivers, The Conservation Angler sin- stream of Tumwater Falls, closed to Tof Eagle Creek, Herman Creek and the cerely applauds ODFW and the Fish & steelhead retention from September 1 Deschutes River by establishing no-an- Wildlife Commission for taking critical to December 31. gling sanctuaries to benefit heat- action in 2020 to protect low returns of stressed migrating wild salmonids this ESA-listed wild steelhead and salmon The Conservation Angler supports the summer. seeking relief in the cold-water refuges. temporary rule and will submit several Anglers have known for decades that additional comments applicable to the wild steelhead and salmon have relied pending permanent rules regarding the on cold water refugia (CWR) during refugia including increasing the bound- their upstream migration in the Colum- aries of the Eagle Creek, Herman Creek bia River. Bill Bakke, then director of Anglers have known Lagoon and Deschutes River mouth the Native Fish Society, had been advo- for decades that wild refuges to protect and buffer the full cating for the protection of heat cold-water plumes in these areas as stressed wild steelhead and salmon dur- steelhead and salmon well as increase the no angling period ing summer hot water conditions since to five days at the beginning and 10 1998. It was not until 2018 and again in have relied on cold days at the end. In addition, TCA rec- 2019 that ODFW was moved by public ommends that the “no steelhead reten- advocates and the Oregon Fish & water refugia during tion” rule be changed to “no angling on Wildlife Commission to close the mouth the John Day arm from September 1 to of the Deschutes River to fishing when their upstream November 30.” the Columbia became too hot. The Con- These rules are vitally important to servation Angler led the science-based migration in the wild steelhead conservation. Yet there advocacy before the Commission which remains more to do. Washington should urged the reluctant department staff to Columbia River. establish No Angling Sanctuaries at act. thermal refuges above Bonneville Dam. ODFW was unable to ignore a critical However, WDFW did modify specific US Environmental Protection Agency Current thermal refuges include: angling rules that it believes will pre- (EPA) draft report released in October vent the targeted angling on wild steel- 2019 that highlighted the critical role Eagle Creek Thermal Refuge, from the head resting in CWR at the Wind, Little that CWR played in the migration of angling deadline in Eagle Creek (200 White Salmon and Big White Salmon wild salmon and particularly, wild steel- feet down from the hatchery fishway rivers. The Conservation Angler will head. entrance) downstream to the mouth at monitor the effectiveness of these mod- The EPA Report presented essential the mainline railroad bridge, closed to est rule changes in these areas this scientific evidence that the CWR were angling July 15 to November 30. summer season. extensively used by heat-stressed wild Thermal sanctuaries for ESA-listed salmon and steelhead — however, these Herman Creek Thermal Refuge, lo- wild steelhead are only half the battle, fish remained vulnerable to targeted cated from the mainline railroad bridge as the EPA Report on CWR predicts sportfishing efforts that significantly downstream to markers at mouth and is that the Columbia River will be a lethal reduced the meaningful biological ben- closed to angling from July 15 to No- migration corridor for salmonids by efit of the thermal resting areas. vember 30. 2040, if not before. The No Angling Sanctuaries will be in effect for two summer months (July 15 Herman Creek Lagoon from east of a thru September 15) and are part of the line from the northwest tip of the jetty, 2020 Columbia River Salmon and Steel- south to a marker on the Oregon shore, Dave Moskowitz is Executive Director head sportfishing regulations an- closed to angling from July 15 to Sep- of The Conservation Angler, one of The nounced on May 18. ODFW also tember 15. Osprey’s partner organizations. Learn announced that development of a per- more about their work at: manent Thermal Angling Sanctuary Deschutes River Thermal Refuge from www.theconservationangler.org rule is underway. the markers at the lower end of Moody While it took ODFW 20 years to pro- Rapids, downstream to the mouth at I-

May 2020 • Issue No. 96 19 The Naturals Will wild Redﬁsh Lake sockeye salmon endure? By Pat Ford

his spring, in late April and hazards; hit summer’s warm waters at habitat and make it likely that the pop- early May, two groups of their peak; eat nothing — and keep at it ulation contains unique adaptive ge- young Snake River sockeye for the 70 or so days. It takes sockeye netic characteristics.” salmon entered Idaho’s Red- nearly one-fifth of a year to swim from Silver tinged blue when they enter the fish Lake Creek’s tumble, the Pacific Ocean to Redfish Lake. To Columbia, they are red when they reach Tand were swept seaward. A few months their odyssey people have added 320 their lake two months or more later. later, in August and September, two straight miles of reservoir spaced by Redfish, and its basin, are in these fish. groups of adult Snake River sockeye eight big dams, twice that the fish must Standards to survive here are high, and will come back from the sea, turn right conquer. particular; the fish tune to them contin- up Redfish Lake Creek, and head to Sockeye possess the widest diversity uously, in genes and behaviors. Their their namesake lake. of life histories in any salmon species. beauty mirrors their place. Though re- Both times, the much smaller of the Most of it is in three centers: Bristol cent scarcity veils it from us, abun- two groups will be sockeye born in Red- Bay Alaska, British Columbia’s Fraser dance is their natural condition and fish Lake, as opposed to sockeye born Basin, and Russia’s Kamchatka Penin- capability. in a hatchery and then released at sula. One outpost of North American Imagine sockeye abundance, waves of spring freshet in Redfish Lake Creek or red, in Redfish Lake in late summer. nearby. The two groups have relations, The fish are up for it. I want to be alive but in essential rank order. The natu- for it Idaho congressman Mike Simpson rals matter much more. In 1991, when listed said last April. Surely many people, Fish managers call them natural-ori- given the picture and choice, would say, gin or natural spawners; I’ll mostly call under the ESA, Snake me too. That’s something to work with, them the naturals. On Idaho’s sockeye at a moment when Idaho salmon and stage, these are the critters to watch — River sockeye was the steelhead need more Idahoans saying it, ecologically, legally, and for most bene- the most endangered out loud. fit to people who live and/or spend qual- In 1991, when declared endangered by ity time in the Sawtooth Valley and salmon species in under the federal Endangered Species Salmon River headwaters. Act, Snake River sockeye was the most Several thousand Redfish-born young the Northwest. endangered salmon species in the naturals rode the freshet leaving Idaho Northwest, perhaps in North America. this spring, just over two months away A money bin and 28 years later, has that as I wrote this story. I focus on those changed? The answer has parts, but the young naturals of 2020, after some sockeye diversity lies far south and fundamental part is the number of Red- background first on the species and east of any other. To Redfish Lake fish-born adult sockeye that return lake to which they belong. Throughout, come the highest-climbing, farthest in- each year. I also worry a bone: how best to tell this land swimming, and southernmost In the five years following their en- story, especially to Idahoans who don’t sockeye salmon on earth. dangered listing, 1992-96, the natural know it, so that more come to care. According to “Status Review for return to Redfish was, respectively, 1, Snake River sockeye spawn higher Snake River Sockeye Salmon,” Robin 8, 1, 0, and 1. In 2015-19, it was 14, 33, than any sockeye on earth: 6,548 feet Waples, Orlay W. Johnson, and Robert 11, 13, and 14. The lack of zeroes and above sea level at Redfish Lake. T. Jones, NOAA Technical Memoran- ones is real progress. But the static They spawn further inland than any dum NMFS–F/NWC 195, April 1991: range makes Snake River sockeye still sockeye on earth: 900 miles inland “Redfish Lake supports the southern- the most endangered salmon in the from the three-mile wide, six-mile long most sockeye salmon population in the Northwest.The highest natural return mouth of the Columbia River where it world. Sockeye salmon returning to since listing was 443, in 2014. 2010 and empties into the north Pacific Ocean at Redfish Lake also travel a greater dis- 2011 were the only other two years the Oregon-Washington state border. tance from the sea (almost 900 miles) above 100. Overall, the trend was flat They are the southernmost sockeye and to a higher elevation (6,500 feet) from 1993 through 2007, upward 2008 salmon population on earth. fish. than do sockeye salmon anywhere else through 2014, and sharply downward The home journey this geography im- in the world. In contrast, sockeye since. poses on a four-to-five-pound adult salmon in the Wenatchee and Okanogan To leave the endangered species list sockeye, even prior to dams, is beyond river/lake systems spawn at elevations alive, 2,500 naturals must return to difficult. Transform from saltwater to more than 4,000 feet lower…. Collec- Sawtooth Valley lakes for eight straight freshwater fish, while sexually matur- tively, these data argue strongly for the years. Over the period 2015-19, the av- ing; swim 925 miles up-current; climb ecological uniqueness (with respect to erage return was 17 naturals, seven- 6,548 feet; dodge predators and other sockeye salmon) of the Snake River Continued on next page 20 The Osprey Continued from previous page river with inflowing tributaries, heat of Redfish naturals passing the eight collects in this long uniform environ- downstream dams over spillways will tenths of one percent of that bench- ment. Such conditions kill outright, and rise a bit, and the percentage passing mark. set up later deaths by stripping re- through powerhouses will drop a bit. The math behind this no-recovery serves from fish that, once finally (Spring flows — the higher the better, trend is about as it was in 1992. Not through the reservoirs, still have 450 for salmon — will determine the impor- enough adult naturals are returning to miles and about a month to swim to tant details.) This will improve overall replace, much less recover, the popula- reach Redfish Lake. Third, the Colum- sockeye survival to the ocean, and thus tion in the lake.This point is compli- bia and Snake are getting steadily hot- back to Redfish Lake. The State of Ore- cated, but not invalidated, by the ter, in both dammed and free-flowing gon and the Nez Perce Tribe negotiated presence of some sockeye residuals in sections. this agreement with leverage won Redfish Lake. These are sockeye that The heat trap now exists every year; against the dam agencies in court. [Ed- do not go seaward, but some of whose in some it clamps harder and longer. itor’s Note: Columbia River treaty tribes offspring will. I won’t get to this part Idaho’s adult naturals trying to get along with state and federal agencies, of their story here. The measure charting this for Idaho salmon and steelhead is smolt-to-adult return ratio, aka SAR. A 2% SAR ratio (of every 100 outbound smolts, two adults return) maintains a population’s level over time. A 4% SAR ratio produces a recovery trend over time. Over the last twelve years, Idaho Fish and Game estimates the average SAR for Redfish naturals at 0.89%. Over the last five years, the estimate is 0.45%. The main human-caused depressor of the naturals’ return rates is their en- forced passage twice through eight large dams and 320 unbroken miles of reservoir. This system harms sockeye as it does Chinook salmon and steelhead, and also in ways noteworthy to sockeye. The urgent latter example is the summer timing of their return migration to Idaho, which exposes sock- Imagine a time when Redfish Lake sockeye salmon are once again abundant and eye to heat traps downstream in the the lake is filled with waves of red each autumn. Photo courtesy Save Our wild Columbia and Snake rivers. Salmon Every year, debilitating heat kills and depletes homebound Idaho sockeye. In 2020, about two-thirds of Idaho naturals home will face 2020’s version this sum- agreed to develop a flexible flow strat- projected to enter the Columbia are mer. Restoring free river flow and egy for the Columbia River basin hy- projected to die before reaching Red- function through the lower Snake River drosystem to improve salmon survival fish Lake. (Heat is one cause, but not will much increase the survival of for the years 2019 - 2021.] the only cause.) 2015 showed us the young sockeye to sea each spring, and Redfish Lake Creek is the geography. worst case when 98% of Idaho’s sock- thus fish back to Idaho. It will also re- In it the naturals slip from Redfish eye were killed before reaching Idaho duce, by 43% of its miles and 50% of its Lake, and are soon rocking down to the by an early hot water spike that then dams, the unbroken hot slackwater that Salmon River, with one calmer break sustained at only slightly lower temper- now poaches adult naturals every sum- through Little Redfish Lake. Starting to atures for most of that summer. mer. sea in these home waters, they some- The heat trap for Idaho’s naturals has Despite its endangerment, spring is how take true bearing, as they go out, three ingredients. Summer, the hot sea- the season to celebrate and salute the for their return. son, always poses risks for cold-water fish we call Snake River sockeye. For I penciled in May 1 to 10, and a few sockeye migrating then. Yet sockeye its being, independent of ours and of days each side, as likely peak time for would not have evolved summer migra- deeper standing in Idaho and at Red- their going. Coronavirus and ground tion unless it conferred advantage. In fish. For hardihood I can’t really com- conditions permitting, I’d like to walk the Redfish case, I bet it connects with prehend. For how its presence with its Redfish Lake Creek from the lake to the their extremely long migration home. lake and mountains delights and helps river. Or, walk or ski where I can, use Second, homebound Idaho sockeye anchor ours. To bid godspeed to 2020’s the road, and stop where I can along the must spend three to four weeks, each young naturals; ask that they come ripping creek to salute outbound fish I summer, swimming 320 straight miles back; and make a small pledge to their can’t see which are ripping by with it. up the Snake and Columbia rivers that future. A walking ceremony if you will, of out- are now ponded in reservoirs. Without I will also celebrate more incremental ing length. Since I am focused on the the cooler escape patches and heat-dis- progress downstream. Due to the flex naturals, I will not linger at the Redfish tributing ameliorations of a flowing spill agreement, in 2020 the percentage Continued on page 23 May 2020 • Issue No. 96 21 FISH WATCH — WILD FISH NEWS, ISSUES AND INITIATIVES

Wild Fish Conservancy Sues NOAA salmon availability has not been sufficient to support [South- ern Resident killer whale] population growth.” Even though on Behalf of Salmon and Orcas this fishery contributes to that problem, NOAA approved continued harvest by citing speculative and unproven plans to mitigate the harm. On March 18, the Wild Fish Conservancy filed a lawsuit in “In short, NOAA’s promised mitigation is legally deficient Seattle’s federal courthouse alleging the National Oceanic and scientifically untenable,” explains Dr. Nick Gayeski, and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in violation of Senior Fisheries Scientist for Wild Fish the Endangered Species Act for failing to protect Southern Conservancy. “The proposed mitigation measures violate Resident killer whales and wild Chinook. The lawsuit alleges recommendations by independent scientific panels and the federal agency’s authorization of the Southeast Alaska NOAA’s own scientists, advice designed to protect threat- Chinook troll fishery contributes to the extinction of the en- ened wild salmon. These programs will likely put threatened dangered population of killer whales found in Puget Sound Chinook at greater risk of extinction, and NOAA offers no and much of the US Pacific Coast and of wild Chinook, a con- evidence that the programs would ever benefit Southern clusion NOAA acknowledges in their own analysis of the fish- Resident killer whales. If there were any benefits from these ery. programs, they would not materialize for years, during "Most people don't realize that fewer than 3% of the Chi- which time more orcas will die of starvation. Yet again, killer nook caught in the ocean off Southeast Alaska are from whales and Chinook are being asked to prove that taking fish Alaska. Over 97% of these Chinook are from British Colum- out of the sea does them harm, rather than requiring fish- bia, Washington and Oregon rivers, eventually serving as the eries to demonstrate that they cause no harm to these irre- critical prey for Southern Resident killer whales as the placeable parts of our natural world.” salmon migrate south into the whales’ traditional forage To make the mitigation possible, Washington state sus- areas,” explains Kurt Beardslee, executive director of Wild pended rules meant to reduce the harm hatchery-raised Fish Conservancy, the plaintiff who filed suit. There are salmon do to wild populations; NOAA did not include assess- only 72 Southern Resident killer whales, down alarmingly ment of the harm federally-listed wild Chinook would suffer from nearly 100 twenty five years ago. Southern Resident because of these changes and increases in hatchery releases. killer whales are listed as endangered by the US and Cana- Wild Fish Conservancy sent NOAA a warning letter 60 days dian governments. Reduced prey availability, specifically ago, requesting that they correct their assessment of the large Chinook, has been identified by killer whale experts fishery, acknowledge the proposed mitigation is insufficient, and NOAA’s analysis as the primary cause of their decline. and implement a plan that will address the needs of threat- Many populations of Chinook in Oregon, Washington, and ened and endangered killer whales and salmon. During those British Columbia currently being harvested in the Southeast 60 days, Alaska announced plans to harvest 201,100 Chinook Alaska troll fishery are also listed as threatened or endan- off the coast of Southeast Alaska, a member of L-pod was re- gered. ported missing and presumed dead, and NOAA has not issued NOAA’s most recent review of the fishery, the analysis a revised assessment of the fishery’s risks. WFC’s lawsuit challenged in this lawsuit, concluded, “Under the existing asks a federal judge to invalidate the assessment and NOAA’s management and recovery regimes over the last decade, approval of the fishery.

Continued from page 5 ment of their effect on multiple dependent variables; an ad- is as yet unproven. Instead WDFW should employ a respon- equate sample size to provide sufficient statistical power; an sibly precautionary approach: prioritize the commitment to understanding of cumulative impacts from other (commer- science stated in their existing policies and permits, collect cial, tribal) fisheries, non-WDFW hatchery programs, ocean the overdue data needed for responsible management of its conditions, and climate change; and sufficient post-imple- existing portfolio of permitted fishery and hatchery pro- mentation time periods to address substantial uncertainty grams, use the data to responsibly manage their programs and natural variability in fish responses. We don’t need all consistent with hatchery and fishery reform science, and fol- those details right now, but to support this experiment I must low the recommendations of their own science staff: perform have confidence that they are attainable. Looking at the his- a scientific evaluation of whether higher-risk strategies — tory of fishery and hatchery management in Washington, I such as expanding hatchery and fishery programs — are nec- don’t have that confidence. It was the absence of these sci- essary or appropriate. We won’t outsmart nature. Wild steel- entific components that thwarted WDFW’s efforts in 2019 to head have proven to be incredibly resilient and adaptable perform a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of when we get out of their way; and when their populations are WDFW’s Hatchery and Fishery Reform Policy c3619, as dis- strong they will support increased recreational angling. This cussed in my complete minority report. science-based approach to healthy wild steelhead popula- Adding new pressures on wild steelhead as an ‘experiment’ tions and sustainable recreational fisheries requires con- at this point in the arc of Puget Sound steelhead decline straint, but is more likely to be successful. strikes me as irresponsible. We don’t know enough about Jamie Glasgow is Director of Science and Research for the steelhead to know which of their independent populations are Wild Fish Conservancy, one of The Osprey’s partner organi- expendable. The risks are too high, the state’s budget too un- zations, www.wildfishconservancy.org certain, and the state’s commitment to effectively monitor and adaptively manage its fisheries and hatchery programs 22 The Osprey Continued from page 21 hatchery adults put into Pettit in 2017- Pat Ford worked for the Idaho Conser- 18. If natural sockeye are re-estab- vation League from 1977-1984. He weir. That is how I plan to salute Red- lished in Pettit and Alturas Lakes — a helped found the Save Our wild Salmon fish naturals outbound this spring. I goal of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Coalition in 1992-93, and then worked have also sketched an approach that among others — those fish will extend for the organization for 21 years, 16 of stays close to the fish in their place, each of these global distinctions just a them as executive director. He lives in should others consider doing the same. bit past their kin in Redfish. Should you Boise with his wife Julia Page. The Redfish weir lies about a half- be at or pass by Alturas or Pettit this mile below the lake, for counts and spring, send good wishes to those lakes’ physical assessment of juveniles and naturals too. Cecil Andrus: Idaho adults, tagging of juveniles, and cap- You see that hatchery-origin sockeye Fish Champion ture and destination sorting of adults. are not readily kept out of the naturals’ From simple beginnings in the 1950s, story. This makes a challenge. The Cecil Andrus, Governor of Idaho today’s weir features considerable com- sockeye action visible to people this from 1971 to 1977 and 1987 to 1995, plex apparatus, buildings, a lengthy spring, and more so this summer, at the was local anywhere he went in Idaho, standing flume to sluice young hatch- Redfish weir and the lake, will tell the and the best fighter Idaho steelhead ery sockeye in large numbers into the hatchery story. I bet all the media, un- and salmon ever had. One month creek, and steady truck traffic when less counter action is plotted, will tell after wading into Redfish with girls sockeye young and adult are present. the hatchery story. The naturals’ story and boys from Stanley School on Au- Only at the weir are young naturals will be submerged, as it has been for 25 gust 12, 1993 to put a few sockeye likely to be visible; some are briefly years. Yet I think only the naturals and back in their lake, he launched the trapped to provide an index count of their story of place can rouse Idahoans lawsuit whose 27-year course has their total numbers. The weir’s story is to care and act for Idaho’s sockeye. brought each incremental beneficial sockeye management by people, not The hatchery story is interesting. It step for migrating salmon since, and natural sockeye in their element. It is hard and consuming work for the now to a chance for decisive steps. provides valuable information and tools managers who must execute it. It is Governor Andrus did not live to see for the complicated business Idaho woven ecologically with the naturals, red fish back in Redfish Lake. Con- sockeye management now is. We would for good, or ill, or both. I think its main gressman Mike Simpson is now work- not know much of the data in this article effect on people is to muffle both the ing, quietly, but with his considerable without its presence. But the weir is a magic, and dire condition, of Redfish skill, to fashion an inclusive path poor place to celebrate naturals and Lake’s sockeye. And thus muffle our through several Northwest brambles their dance with Redfish. connection to and caring for them in the to achieve it. I think our best help to And, while Redfish is the workhorse, only place on earth they exist. I hope him now is to put more Idahoans’ feet two other Sawtooth lakes will have nat- communications pros can find ways visibly on that path, and widen it. urals on the move this spring. Man- round this. I can’t yet; I keep trying. agers estimate 2970 sockeye, all naturals, went out from Alturas Lake in 2019. Pettit Lake sent 261 out last year, mostly first-generation progeny from SUPPORT THE OSPREY To receive The Osprey three times per year, January, May and September, please ﬁll out Yes, I will help protect wild salmon and steelhead this coupon with your check made out to The Osprey - The Conservation Angler and ❏ $15 Basic Donation/Subscription mail to: The Osprey/The Conservation Angler ❏ $25 Dedicated Angler Level 16430 72nd Ave., West ❏ $50 For Future Generations of Anglers Edmonds, WA 98026 ❏ $100 So There Will Always Be Wild Fish Or donate at: www.theconservationangler.org ❏ $ Other

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May 2020 • Issue No. 96 23 THE OSPREY

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