The Klamath’s dams have been removed, at least some of them. Articles have popped up describing the spectacle of fish being seen many miles above the dam sites, stating that the fishery has started to recover. I think these articles express bits of naivety and wishful thinking. The fact that anadromous fish (fish born in fresh water, mature in the ocean, then return to fresh water to spawn) are moving above the demolished dam sites shouldn’t really surprise anyone—they excel at navigating swift water and finding appropriate habitat. Whether anadromous fish populations are rebounding cannot be determined in a year or two. The news states that this year’s run is larger than in recent years but we need to keep in mind that all of the returning fish were born in the drainage while dams still existed—their numbers have nothing to do with dam removal.
Years ago, when dam removal was being considered, I had several thoughts: First, dam removal MIGHT improve anadromous fish populations. Second, dams have very nice electricity generation characteristics that would be tragic to lose. Third, what comes AFTER the dam’s removal? Here are my views:
Dam removal isn’t a guaranteed solution to anadromous fishery problems. Many streams in the Pacific Northwest have no dams and their anadromous fish are not thriving. In other words, there are other factors impacting the fish besides just dam presence. A huge factor is ocean conditions. Because anadromous fish spend most of their lives in the ocean, the ocean’s conditions are extremely important. There are large variations in ocean productivity from year to year, as shown by the percentage of young fish entering the ocean that are able to grow to maturity. In other words, when comparing various periods of time, survival of these fish while in the ocean is highly variable. Mankind might not have the ability to understand the ocean’s variability or improve upon its condition.
One Comment
Mr. Grifantini makes several excellent points regarding the benifits of hydroelectric power and the many variables affecting the populations of andramous fishes in our region. One such variable is sea lion predation (particularly near the mouths of rivers) by animals whose populations have substantialy increased since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972). This is a reality in Oregon and Washington as well. As with the spotted owl versus barred owl, we are picking winners and losers by forcing Nature (and people) to bend to our concept of a “balanced ecosystem”.
I have been enjoying Mr. Grifantini’s articles, and look forward to more of his thoughful insights.