The Northwest seems to be caught in a status quo of fighting over salmon and the 4 LSR dams through lawsuits, biops, EIS’s, appeals, spill, press releases etc. that have outcomes that generally pick winners and losers. It is a cycle that appears never-ending with neither side gaining leverage over the other anytime soon. Either the salmon will go extinct or the courts or some other body will step in and take drastic unilateral action.

• In the last 30 years, the Northwest has spent over $17 billion on fish recovery efforts and yet we have more salmon and steelhead listed under the ESA today than we did in 1980.

• Almost all issues are connected or interrelated in some manner. Any action taken in one category is almost certain to have an effect on one, some, or all of the other categories.

Around 18 months ago, Idaho’s Congressman Simpson spoke out saying that he would be working on and proposing a deal that would benefit all stakeholders on this issue. He alluded heavily to the idea that breaching the lower four snake river dams would be a part of that deal. Although work on this issue has been quiet, it has not been forgotten.

Governor's Workgroup

In the meantime, Governor Little established his Salmon Recovery Workgroup Governor Brad Little’s Salmon & Steelhead Recovery Workgroup recently concluded its 18 month project under the request of the Governor to re-evaluate the recovery plan for salmon and steelhead as “the status quo approach to salmon recovery and restoration was not working.” This workgroup was comprised of a diverse set of members representing all sides of this issue, and marks the first time in Idaho’s history that such a diverse group of stakeholders gathered together to discuss the future of Idaho’s anadromous fish. IOGA wants to thank Governor Little and the members of the workgroup.

As the workgroup progressed along its course, consistent public input about salmon and steelhead was requested. An incredible number of Idahoan’s came forth and showed their support for working to re-establish our fish runs. Personal stories, dreams and visions for the future were submitted by citizens from a diverse set of backgrounds. From farmers to fisherman, city folk to those living in some of the most remote corners of our state, comments poured in inspiring and motivating the group. In general many of the comments asked policy makers to do away with the old way of thinking about fish vs dams and come together to create win/win solutions for everyone, not only their particular interest.

IOGA’s Aaron Lieberman represented the interest of Idaho’s outfitters and guides, filling one of the 21 available seats in this workgroup. “Fishing for salmon and steelhead is much more than an activity in Idaho. It is a source of cultural pride and tradition. For many Idahoans it represents not only a way of life but also a way of making a living in their rural communities. It is imperative that we come together as a state and find answers to save our fish.”

The final report states “Idahoans want abundant, sustainable, and well-distributed populations of salmon and steelhead in Idaho for present and future generations.” These populations would ensure a future of economic vitality and cultural opportunity for all Idahoans. Resonating with this desired outcome, the Workgroup adopted the abundance goals for salmon and steelhead established by the Columbia Basin Partnership, which reflect their goal to achieve the level of abundance Idahoans are calling for.

Yet the final report also acknowledges that it does not constitute a recovery plan. “This document is not a recovery plan. Rather, these recommendations constitute a list of the actions on which we could find consensus. We believe that if these are implemented, it would help salmon and steelhead. Many of these policy recommendations are for actions that are already being implemented.” These leaders and stakeholders agree: The status quo is not working for salmon and steelhead. We need to take bolder action to do more than avoid extinction.

Congressman Simpson's Research & Approach

Over the last three years, Simpson and his staff have held over 300 meetings with stakeholders, tribes, elected representatives and other interests trying to understand and break down the issues relating to the ongoing litigation, studies, appeals, biops, spill and other conflicts creating regional uncertainty related to salmon recovery, dams, energy and transportation.

• They met with representatives from these Northwest interests:

  • Agriculture

  • Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)

  • Communities

  • Conservationists

  • Energy

  • Recreation

  • Salmon

  • States

  • Transportation

  • Tribes

In these meetings, they asked the “what if” questions. What if the four Lower Snake River Dams (4 LSRDs) were breached:

1. How would each group be affected?

2. Could the benefits they currently receive from the 4 LSRDs be replaced so they could continue their operations with certainty and security under their own terms?

3. Could we roughly estimate how expensive it might be to replace the benefits?

To the question of whether the Four LSRDs are good or bad, clearly the 4 LSRDs provide significant benefits for energy, transportation, agriculture and communities.

• They provide clean, low cost, renewable hydropower that is on-demand and helps to balance the transmission system.

• They allow barges to reach all the way from Portland to Lewiston-Clarkston. Barges provide the lowest cost method to ship agricultural and other products up and down the river and they help reduce the overall carbon footprint of alternative rail and trucking.

• Barging provides our agricultural farmers (especially grain) with a low cost option that prevents them from becoming captive shippers to rail and trucking. They are a critical component in getting our agricultural products overseas. Ice Harbor Dam also provides farmers with significant irrigation opportunities.

• Our communities in the Lewis Clark Valley and the Tri-Cities benefit greatly through economic activity at the ports, tourism and recreational opportunities.

• Without question, the 4 LSRDs provide significant benefits that would be very expensive to replace if the dams were breached.

To the Question of the Status of our Salmon & Steelhead:

Idaho’s salmon and steelhead are not doing well when compared to their past historic numbers and when compared against other salmon runs in the Northwest. In fact, they are doing very, very poorly. All of Idaho’s wild steelhead and salmon are listed as threatened or endangered.

Simpson has gone through the 'discovery process' that those of us close to this issue have found ourselves traversing, in short, coming to the conclusions that the three most significant variables harming Idaho’s salmon are:

1. Poor ocean conditions cause all salmon great difficulty. Not enough salmon are returning from the ocean as in the past.

2. Global warming/climate change is leading to warmer Northwest rivers and reservoirs which provides significant strains on our salmon.

3. Lastly, the 4 LSRDs appear to be 4 dams too many for Idaho salmon to negotiate as they make their 900-mile trek to central Idaho.

The reality is, it is all of those things, as well as habitat and other factors besides. The point is not that ocean conditions, global warming, etc. are not impactful (even significantly so), but rather that those aren’t levers we can pull. We cannot meaningfully change those ocean conditions or reverse the effects of a warming climate. Removing the Lower Four Snake River Dams(LSRD), by contrast, is something we can do.

More to the point, it is the thing we can do that would have an significant impact toward restoring Idaho stocks of salmon and steelhead. Even the Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement states that breaching the dams will deliver greater benefits to endangered Snake River salmon and steelhead populations, with greater certainty, than any other option.

The real issue with calls to retire the LSRD has been that there have not previously been plans/funding/assurances for those industries and communities that depend on the current Snake River System to ensure they are not left out to dry as a result.

Such concerns are not limited to directly dependent industries. Indeed, despite the serious economic impacts of declining salmon populations on our industry and on rural river communities, the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association membership has continued to oppose solutions that exclude or come at the expense of other Idahoans and other industries.

People in our industry have been in a state of uncertainty for years now about how poor fish returns will continue to impact our livelihoods. We do not want our neighbors who depend on the Columbia and Snake rivers as they are today to face similar challenges.