Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
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Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#2It's nice and all, but it is unlikely to lead to a returning salmon population.
Even if the spawn make it through the dams, they won't be able to come back when they reach spawning age.
They need to invest tons of money in salmon ladders and naturalization, for example, like we are doing in BC. That would be quite the project for the Grand Coulee dam, as I remember it being quite large.
Hopefully this is the first step in the massive commitment that will be needed to restore the salmon population there. The salmon run is such an important part of the ecosystem.
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#3I grew up in a small town in the PNW that has a yearly salmon festival, and it wasn't until a post from HN[1] that I learned/realized that the whole system of "fish hatcheries" that my town celebrated is kind of a horrible bandaid over the ecological disaster we perpetrated.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21298472 , definitely worth a read if you care about salmon
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#4That means those salmon have to make there way thru about 10 or 11 dams!
Dams provide so many good things (clean energy, passable water, flood protection, ...). If the salmon can spawn that would be ideal!
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#5Readers may also find this review of methods of building salmon-friendly dams interesting:
https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/mf...
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#6It's nice and all, but it is unlikely to lead to a returning salmon population. Even if the spawn make it through the dams, they won't be able to come back when they reach spawning age. They need to invest tons of money in salmon ladders and naturalization, for example, like we are doing in BC. That would be quite the project for the Grand Coulee dam, as I remember it being quite large. Hopefully this is the first st…
They can if they have supporting Salmon Cannons![1]
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#7It's nice and all, but it is unlikely to lead to a returning salmon population. Even if the spawn make it through the dams, they won't be able to come back when they reach spawning age. They need to invest tons of money in salmon ladders and naturalization, for example, like we are doing in BC. That would be quite the project for the Grand Coulee dam, as I remember it being quite large. Hopefully this is the first st…
If native populations are going to come back and be sustainable we have to tear down the damns.
I realize that causes other political issues but that's the only way we're going to have native populations.
I'm an avid fisherman and really LOVE fish. They're amazing animals. Fisherman have a connection to nature that just can't be appreciated unless you have spent significant time on the water.
Fish are SMART, they're capable of amazing things I wouldn't have even considered possible.
I once had a large trout swim UP a (short, about 4') waterfall with my lure in his mouth and I could SEE him swimming up it as if it were just normal water.
When we let nature die a part of us dies with it..
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#8Hydro is a double edged sword. Washington produces 70% of its energy from clean hydro, and supplies almost a quarter of the nation’s hydro power. Nothing is free.
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#9Readers may also find this review of methods of building salmon-friendly dams interesting: https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/mf...
We must learn to live with hydro power and dams. It’s such an incredible and clean source of energy. It’s low maintenance and has a high duty cycle, with only nuclear being a more consistent. Dams are also how many parts of the US irrigate crops for our food.
Re: Salmon spawning in the upper Columbia River, first in 80 years
#10It's nice and all, but it is unlikely to lead to a returning salmon population. Even if the spawn make it through the dams, they won't be able to come back when they reach spawning age. They need to invest tons of money in salmon ladders and naturalization, for example, like we are doing in BC. That would be quite the project for the Grand Coulee dam, as I remember it being quite large. Hopefully this is the first st…
If native populations are going to come back and be sustainable we have to tear down the damns. I realize that causes other political issues but that's the only way we're going to have native populations. I'm an avid fisherman and really LOVE fish. They're amazing animals. Fisherman have a connection to nature that just can't be appreciated unless you have spent significant time on the water. Fish are SMART, they're…
Fish are amazing, but do you really think they are SMART? In my experience, fish are incredibly stupid and wholly reliant on instinct. I suppose instincts can seem like intelligence sometimes, but if put into the wrong situation, fish will make the same mistake over and over and over again.