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Scientists Draft Letter Calling on Governors to Tear Down the Lower Snake River Dams by Staff Hatch Magazine, January 14, 2021

For salmon and steelhead to survive, the dams must go

Historically, the Snake River basin was the largest salmon producer in the Columbia River system, once home to salmon runs numbering in the millions. Today, all stocks of salmon and steelhead in the basin are gravely imperiled and some are at the precipice of extinction. Over the last 20 years, the federal government has invested nearly $17 billion into the recovery of Snake River Basin salmon and steelhead--with little to nothing to show in the way of results. The reason, scientists say, is the continued existence of the lower Snake River dams, which destroy habitat, create conditions averse to fish survival, and block passage to vital spawning habitat. This week, ten scientists signed an open letter to the governors of Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho calling on those states to remove the lower four dams on the Snake River, stating that "abundant, healthy and harvestable wild Snake River salmon and steelhead cannot be restored and sustained with the four lower Snake River dams in place."

Amongst the letter's signatories is Jack Williams, emeritus senior scientist at Trout Unlimited; David Montgomery of the University of Washington, author of The King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon; James Lichatowich, noted salmon fisheries biologist and author of Salmon Without Rivers; Don Chapman, retired state and federal agency biologist; Richard Williams of the College of Idaho; Bruce Rieman and Peter Bisson, retired U.S. Forest Service scientists; Charles Petrosky, retired Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologist; and Howard Schaller, retired project leader for the Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The good news, according to the scientists who drafted the letter, is that the Snake River basin "remains exceptional in its recovery potential." But, the letter warns, fisheries managers find themselves at a pivotal moment, with "every Snake River salmon and steelhead population is listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), with recent returns consistently below the threshold needed to avoid extinction." If the dams are not removed, the scientists write, "the basin's salmon and steelhead are highly likely to become extinct."

"It is our collective opinion, based on overwhelming scientific evidence, that restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River is essential to recovering wild Pacific salmon and steelhead in the basin. We base our opinion on our deep expertise in the science of salmon and steelhead conservation including decades of collaborative research that has withstood rigorous scientific review. Continued hatchery reform, habitat restoration and other actions are needed, but dam breaching is the essential cornerstone of a comprehensive, effective recovery strategy," the letter states.

The lower Snake River dams are all run-of-river dams, which means they don't store water, and thus don't provide any flood control. Lower Granite Dam is actually regarded to increase flood risk to Lewiston, Idaho. Due to the lack of water storage, the dams also don't offer much in the way of irrigation. In fact, Ice Harbor Dam is the only dam in the lower system that provides any irrigation whatsoever--and in a limited volume that is said to be easily replaced by running intake pipes into a free-flowing Snake. What the dams do offer nearby communities, however, is electricity--only not that much. At peak capacity--a level at which the dams very rarely operate--they can generate 3,000 megawatts of power. But their actual yearly output is just over 1,000 average megawatts--an amount that is easily and relatively cheaply replaced by clean energy sources like wind.

Lacking ammunition to justify the dam's continued existence, defenders of the lower Snake River dams have more recently begun citing poor ocean conditions of the last several years as evidence that the problems facing Snake River salmon and steelhead lie outside the basin. In their letter, the scientists dismiss this charge, calling the logic "flawed" and stating that "it ignores the tremendous body of scientific analysis that clearly demonstrates the importance of the freshwater phase of the salmon and steelhead life-cycle -- from eggs in gravel, to migration to the ocean as smolts, and to migration from river entry to spawning grounds as adults." The letter goes on to note that "ocean conditions fluctuate. Recent conditions in the north Pacific have been tough on the fish. But a key to ensuring that salmon and steelhead can persist through poor ocean cycles and thrive during good ocean cycles is access to high quality freshwater habitat that produces abundant, healthy, diverse salmon and steelhead."

Taking care not to dismiss the significance of removal, the scientists close the by stating, "We recognize that removal of the lower four Snake River dams will involve major change in the region, necessitating investment in industries and local communities to adapt to a free-flowing lower Snake River. We believe that there are affordable, cost-effective alternatives that can provide the economic benefits currently provided by the dams. We strongly support taking such measures. The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates there is no chance of restoring abundant, healthy and harvestable Snake River salmon and steelhead with the lower Snake River dams in place."

Dear Governors Brown, Gianforte, Inslee, and Little:

We are at a pivotal moment for wild Snake River salmon and steelhead. These fish, of tremendous ecological importance and value to tribal and non-tribal communities from Idaho to Alaska, are on a trajectory toward extinction. As scientists who have collectively studied and worked on the conservation and recovery of salmon and steelhead across the Pacific coast for decades, we write to express our professional opinion that abundant, healthy and harvestable wild Snake River salmon and steelhead cannot be restored and sustained with the four lower Snake River dams in place.

Historically, the Snake River basin was the largest salmon producer in the Columbia River system, sustaining over half its summer steelhead and approximately 40 percent of its spring/summer Chinook salmon. It remains exceptional in its recovery potential. The Snake River Basin presently contains 50 percent of the coldwater habitat available to salmon and steelhead in their native range in the Lower 48 -- much of it in protected public lands of high quality -- and that is predicted to rise to 65 percent by 2080.

Standing in stark contrast to that potential is the sad situation we experience today. Every Snake River salmon and steelhead population is listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), with recent returns consistently below the threshold needed to avoid extinction. Pacific lamprey, another anadromous species of major significance to tribes and the freshwater and marine ecosystem, have also declined precipitously.

This decline has occurred despite more than $17 billion spent on efforts to recover the fish. Except for one interim plan in the 1990s, federal courts have rejected every plan for operating the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers because they were not based on sound science and failed to require actions sufficient to avoid jeopardizing salmon and steelhead protected under the ESA. The lesson is clear. Incremental changes will not recover these fish and if we do not remove the four lower Snake River dams, the basin’s salmon and steelhead are highly likely to become extinct. As Judge Simon stated in rejecting the 2014 federal salmon plan, this is a situation that cries out for a new approach.

The Columbia Basin Partnership, a collaborative group of 31 diverse stakeholders and sovereigns, recently agreed on science-based goals for wild salmon and steelhead that are not simply focused on avoiding extinction but rather strive to restore returns that are abundant, harvestable and healthy. To achieve the Partnership’s goals for Snake River fall Chinook, steelhead, and spring/summer Chinook, wild fish abundance needs to increase by three, four and five times, respectively. For the most imperiled Snake River salmon species, sockeye, just reducing the risk of extinction to meet the minimum ESA requirements necessitates even larger increases in current wild fish abundance.

It is our collective opinion, based on overwhelming scientific evidence, that restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River is essential to recovering wild Pacific salmon and steelhead in the basin. We base our opinion on our deep expertise in the science of salmon and steelhead conservation including decades of collaborative research that has withstood rigorous scientific review. Continued hatchery reform, habitat restoration and other actions are needed, but dam breaching is the essential cornerstone of a comprehensive, effective recovery strategy.

Supporters of the lower Snake River dams have recently been in the news proclaiming coastwide salmon declines as evidence that freshwater habitat -- and dams in particular -- are not critical to recovery because the problem resides in the ocean. This logic is flawed. It ignores the tremendous body of scientific analysis that clearly demonstrates the importance of the freshwater phase of the salmon and steelhead life-cycle -- from eggs in gravel, to migration to the ocean as smolts, and to migration from river entry to spawning grounds as adults.

Ocean conditions fluctuate. Recent conditions in the north Pacific have been tough on the fish. But a key to ensuring that salmon and steelhead can persist through poor ocean cycles and thrive during good ocean cycles is access to high quality freshwater habitat that produces abundant, healthy, diverse salmon and steelhead.

For wild Snake River salmon and steelhead to rebuild to abundant, healthy and harvestable levels despite fluctuating ocean conditions and our warming climate, we must restore their freshwater habitat and make their migratory corridor much less lethal. The region has invested billions in habitat restoration and hydro-system modifications, sharply reduced harvest, increased predator control and has begun reforming hatchery practices -- and yet wild salmon and steelhead remain in dire straits. The one thing we have not addressed is the eight concrete obstacles in the middle of their migration corridor that have turned a vibrant, free-flowing river into a series of slack-water reservoirs. The fact that wild Chinook salmon have remained abundant and productive in the free-flowing Hanford Reach above the four lower Columbia River dams as well as in the John Day River above three dams is a testament to their resilience, 3 but the additional four dams and reservoirs salmon and steelhead must pass on the lower Snake have proven too much for those fish to endure.

We recognize that removal of the lower four Snake River dams will involve major change in the region, necessitating investment in industries and local communities to adapt to a free-flowing lower Snake River. We believe that there are affordable, cost-effective alternatives that can provide the economic benefits currently provided by the dams. We strongly support taking such measures. The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates there is no chance of restoring abundant, healthy and harvestable Snake River salmon and steelhead with the lower Snake River dams in place.

We ask for your leadership to develop a comprehensive solution that includes removing the lower Snake River dams so that the extraordinary potential of the Snake River Basin for people and fish can be realized. Your consideration of our views is greatly appreciated.

Jack E. Williams, Ph.D.
Emeritus Senior Scientist
Trout Unlimited

David R. Montgomery, Ph.D.
Professor of Earth and Space Sciences
University of Washington

James A. Lichatowich
Noted Salmon Fisheries Biologist and Author
Jack A. Stanford, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor and Retired Director
Flathead Lake Biological Station University of Montana

Don Chapman, Ph.D.
Retired Biologist from multiple state and federal agencies
Richard N. Williams, Ph.D.
Research Associate
The College of Idaho

Bruce E. Rieman, Ph.D.
Retired Scientist
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

Peter A. Bisson, Ph.D.
Retired Scientist
The Weyerhaeuser Company and USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station

Charles Petrosky, Ph.D.
Retired Fisheries Biologist
Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Howard Schaller, Ph.D.
Retired Project Leader
Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, USFWS