the film
forum
library
tutorial
contact
Ecology and salmon related articles

Snake River Dam Resolution

Pacific Fishery Management Council - June 22, 1999

WHEREAS, fishing cultures, livelihoods, economies, and recreation along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to California, and east to Idaho and Montana, have been dramatically affected by the precipitous decline and subsequent listing under the Endangered Species Act of anadromous fish in the Snake River Basin;

WHEREAS, rigorous scientific review by the Plan for Analyzing and Testing Hypothesis (PATH), has demonstrated much, if not most, of this decline is due to cumulative impacts of the Federal Columbia River Hydroelectric System, and, that retiring Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams on the lower Snake River and returning this river reach to a normative river condition is most likely to avoid extinction and recover Snake River salmon and steelhead stocks;

WHEREAS, wild Snake River salmon and steelhead are an irreplaceable genetic resource that continue to play a vital ecological role even at their currently depressed levels. If these runs are allowed to vanish, the foundation of the interior northwests ecosystems will be severely undermined.

WHEREAS, extinction will prove ever more costly, and recovery will restore these fish to their rightful place in the cultures, economies, and hearts of Pacific Northwest peoples;

THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED, that the Pacific Fishery Management Council finds the extinction of wild Snake River salmon unacceptable, and recommends implementation of the measures deemed by scientific analysis to recover wild anadromous fish in the Snake River Basin to sustainable fisheries levels. The Council recommends full consideration and mitigation of negative impacts of the selected recovery option on affected individuals and their communities.


Pacific Fishery Management Council
Snake River Dam Resolution
June 22, 1999

See what you can learn

learn more on topics covered in the film
see the video
read the script
learn the songs
discussion forum
salmon animation