Running the Gauntlet Video and Notes

NOTES FROM VIDEO:

PHENOMENAL FACTS:

-Redfish sockeye travel 900 miles and 6,000 feet in elevation over eight dams

-2006: three wild Redfish sockeye salmon returned

-2008: Judge Redden ordered four Lower Snake River dams to spill water to enhance juvenile journey to sea

-2010: 1,300 wild Redfish sockeye salmon returned

FAILED SALMON RECOVERY FIXES:

-170 salmon hatchery programs on Columbia River basin

-one in five salon are wild: cross breeding with wild salmon decreases genetic diversity of wild sockeye

-hatcheries release 100 million juveniles and 1% return

-(1985-2007): average of 18 sockeye salmon returned to spawning grounds in central Idaho

-13 salmon on Columbia river Basin are endangered species: Redfish sockeye are one of the endangered species

-8 dams create 400 miles of slack water

-hatchery salmon have bad habits that lead to loss: feed on surface, fish transport and slack water causes fish to lose track of spawning grounds

-Pikeminnows, Caspian terns, cormorants, sea lions feast on disoriented juveniles and returning adults

-In 1985, Snake River coho salmon were declared extinct. In 1991, it was the sockeye salmon that were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In 1992, spring, summer and fall Chinook were listed as threatened.

SALMON RECOVERY:

-removal of Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite Snake River dams would open 5,500 miles of rivers and tributaries for salmon

-pursue train transport for goods from Lewiston, not barges

-pursue alternative energy sources: wind and solar

-The Endangered Species Act (ESA for short) was enacted by Congress in 1973. Under the ESA, the federal government has the responsibility to protect:

• • Endangered Species - species that are likely to become extinct throughout all or a large portion of their range.

  • Threatened Species - species that are likely to become endangered in the near future.

  • Critical habitat - vital to the survival of endangered or threatened species.

The Endangered Species Act has lists of protected plant and animal species both nationally and worldwide. When a species is given ESA protection, it is said to be a "listed" species.

As of October 2009, 1,361 plants and animals in the United States were listed as threatened or endangered. There are many additional species that are currently being evaluated for possible protection under the ESA, and they are called “candidate” species.