Tempering Heat Pollution in the Lower Snake River

May 28, 2020

Tempering Heat Pollution in the Lower Snake River

Recently, there has been a lot of press about Oregon and Washington governors using their authority under the Clean Water Act to require dam operators to reduce the heat they are introducing into the Snake and Columbia Rivers. Heat pollution causes substantial stress and even death for endangered salmon and steelhead. This is an important development in the ongoing effort to protect salmon and steelhead in these rivers… but what does it mean to reduce “heat pollution” and how does that protect salmon, steelhead and our ability to fish? Heat is explicitly identified as a pollutant under the Clean Water Act, making entities that heat waterways responsible for mitigating the temperature changes they cause. As anglers, we know that temperature changes have huge impacts on fish. Here in Oregon, our water quality standards have set a water temperature threshold of 68 degrees Fahrenheit for salmon and steelhead streams—the warmest water salmon and steelhead can survive in.

June 24, 2020

Renewable Energy and Barging Industries Have Changed

The lower Snake River dams were built based on two predominant assumptions: (1) dams are the most viable form of producing renewable energy and (2) dams facilitate barge transport, which is the best way to ship goods to market. We must determine whether these assumptions are still true today in order to promote a dialogue about crafting solutions to replace the lower Snake River dams.

June 30, 2020

Migration Through the Eyes of a Salmon

When I turned one year old, my parr marks began to disappear, alerting me to the fact that my first great journey would soon begin. I knew it was time to go to the ocean. Under natural conditions, it would be an arduous journey: over 450 miles of river fraught with predators, rapids, strong currents, and changing salinity that culminates in a rapid biological adaptation to the ocean. Unfortunately, man-made obstacles such as agricultural runoff, heat pollution, stagnant water and dams further complicated my voyage.

July 28, 2020

Latest Environmental Rollbacks Threaten Fish

Over the past few months, the Trump administration has finalized two new rules that dramatically roll back freshwater protections under the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Both of the new rules are destructive to endangered fish populations, leaving them vulnerable to a variety of impacts including infrastructure projects and climate change.

July 28, 2020

Headlight Herald: We Need Public Utility District’s Help to Save our Salmon

Norm Ritchie, long-time volunteer and board member with ANWS, submitted a letter-to-the-editor of the Headlight Herald clarifying some of the misinformation being circulated regarding the energy produced by the lower Snake River dams.

July 31, 2020

Newest Salmon “Recovery” Plan is Built to Flop

To save the endangered populations of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake rivers, the Oregon District Court tasked federal agencies with developing a comprehensive, fish-friendly plan for operating the Columbia River Hydrosystem. Just like the past five plans they've produced, this “new” plan resembles previous plans that failed to restore fish runs or pass legal scrutiny. Unfortunately for sport fishers, this new plan won't recover salmon or fishing opportunities.

August 14, 2020

The Fish That Unites Us: Centering Indigenous Perspectives of Salmon in Fisheries Management

The relationship between northwest Tribes and salmon is significant—so significant, in fact, that many groups refer to themselves as “Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum” or “Salmon People.” Historically, the Columbia River basin supported one of the most abundant salmon returns in the world, providing Indigenous communities with a reliable, year-round source of protein. Now, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde are able to harvest 15 salmon.

September 8, 2020

An Open Letter to Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Dave Graybill

Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Graybill, we ask that you oppose the proposed policy that seeks to cut sport fishing allocationwhile allowing increased non-treaty gillnetting on the mainstem Columbia. Instead, keep fighting for the fish and for the entire recreational angling community.