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Fisheries' Values Detailed by Bob Rees The Oregonian, April 12, 2004

Wayne Thompson's "End costly spills and pay anglers not to catch salmon" March 26 column) clearly shows he was a journalism major and did not study fisheries.

As most fish biologists agree, eliminating summer spill on the Columbia would have devastating effects on the sport and commercial fisheries that depend on them.

He must not know that even on a productive year, sport anglers at best, harvest a meager 5 percent of these Columbia River fall salmon while hydropower kills an average of 10 percent of the entire run during outmigration at each impoundment.

He must not know that the sport and commercial fisheries are some of the most heavily regulated industries in the Northwest and have carried the most burden to protect endangered stocks of salmon.

He must not know that a single day of fishing in the lower Columbia River is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the small communities of Astoria, Warrenton, Rainier, Kalama and Cascade Locks.

He certainly doesn't know the joy a father sees when he brings his son from Utah to hook into a lifelong, lasting memory to the tune of 35 pounds of wild chinook salmon! What he doesn't know, will hurt us!

Mortality of Juvenile Salmon during Downstream Migration through Hydrosystem Corridor
Source: National Marine Fisheries Service, December 21, 2000
(more data at dampool.htm)

Juvenile Salmon	Average (1994-1999)
Direct Mortality	Fall Chinook	Spring Chinook	Steelhead
Columbia/Snake Dams (8 dams)	12%	20%	17%
Columbia/Snake Reservoirs (8 reservoirs)	81%	40%	41%
Lower Snake River (4 dams & 4 reservoirs)	72%	30%	29%
Columbia River (4 dams & 4 reservoirs)	21%	30%	29%
Columbia/Snake Rivers (8 dams & 8 reservoirs)	93%	60%	58%
Indirect Mortality	?	?	?