Along with being an important source of food and a cultural icon for Northwesterners, salmon also serve as an indicator of the health of the environment.
And some of the latest indicators aren’t good.
State and tribal fishery agencies, as they consider alternatives for salmon fishing seasons, are considering the closure of all salmon fishing this year in the state’s ocean waters to protect coho salmon, following forecasts of extremely low returns of the salmon stock.
Other options under consideration are less drastic, allowing for limited catches of coho and more of chinook salmon in ocean waters, but consideration of a “zero option” indicates the concern for coho and for all salmon and steelhead stocks on the West Coast.
Following last year’s poor numbers for returning salmon stocks, which were under stress from last winter’s low snowpack that resulted in lower river levels and warmer waters, summer drought conditions and a “blob” of warm ocean water in the Pacific, state and tribal agencies have forecast the return of even fewer numbers of coho. Only 380,000 hatchery coho are expected to return to the Columbia River, about half of last year’s forecast, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
While it’s a smaller river system, the number is even more striking for the Stillaguamish River. Less than 3,000 coho are forecast to return to the Stilly this year, a river that more typically supports 20,000 to 50,000, according to Stillaguamish tribal fishery officials.
While last summer’s drought conditions could prove to be an outlier, a new study shows that the region’s climate is expected to change during the coming decades. The study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation of the Columbia River Basin forecasts changes for Northwest states as the region continues to warm and the seasonal timing of precipitation changes, requiring changes in how the river system and its dams are managed.
But other recent news provides reason for hope in the face of those distressing numbers:
- Following the recent visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Washington, D.C., members of the state’s congressional delegation were able to secure commitments with Canadian officials to begin negotiations to update the countries’ Columbia River Treaty to include provisions to make salmon and the environment part of the treaty’s focus beyond power generation and flood control.
- State Fish and Wildlife biologists are continuing a study, authorized last year by the Legislature, that is studying the health and population of herring and other forage fish in state waters on which salmon and other wildlife rely. The study is expected to provide information on why herring stocks are declining but also inform decisions on salmon.
- Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Washington, last week called for the House budget to include $65 million in funding for the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund, which provides grants, matched by state and tribal agencies, for projects that restore salmon habitat on the West Coast.
Created by Congress in 2000, the program has funded 11,500 projects, restoring salmon habitat on more than 1 million acres and 10,000 miles of streams and rivers. In Washington, working through the state Recreation and Conservation Office and with state matching funds, more than 2,500 projects have restored more than 46,000 acres of habitat between 2000 and 2012.
In addition to the environmental benefit, the economy gets a boost as well. For every $1 million of federal and state funding, the projects support 17 jobs and generate $1.86 million in economic activity, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In recent years, the state’s delegation has had to fight for funding after cuts were initially suggested in the House and by President Barack Obama, but $65 million was secured for the past two years, and the president’s most recent budget seeks to keep the funding level steady.
Work to restore and protect the habitat that salmon and other wildlife depend on will only increase in importance as development continues, the population grows and the climate changes. These and other efforts deserve our support.
What’s good for salmon is good for us.
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