For Immediate Release: June 8, 2004
Contact: Chuck Hudson, CRITFC (503) 731-1257
Liz Hamilton, NSIA (503) 631-8859
Oliver Waldman, Salmon for All (503) 325-3831
Glen Spain, PCFFA (541) 689-2000

TRIBAL, SPORT AND COMMERCIAL FISHING GROUPS AGREE CUTTING SPILL IS NOT THE ANSWER
Elimination negates investment that region and nation have made to salmon recovery

Portland, OR - In a major step back for salmon recovery, today the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), an agency of the Bush administration will release an amended plan to reduce summer spill in the Columbia and Snake rivers basin. Despite the urgent pleas of Northwest tribes and commercial and sport fishing groups, BPA has decided to move forward with its plan to cut spill, risking salmon recovery, salmon dependent businesses and tribal fisheries in order to generate more revenue.

"Initially the agencies concocted a plan they couldn't pull off with offsets that were not effective and created a lot of mistrust and ill will in the region as a result," said Chuck Hudson, manager public information office, Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission. "BPA continues to cling to the concept simply to grab a few bucks in spite of the regional response. The appropriate thing for them to do is put the notion of cutting spill to sleep."

Eliminating or reducing summer spill violates the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Northwest Power Act and national treaties. Absent removal of the four lower Snake River dams summer spill must be a foundation of any plan to bring federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers into compliance with the ESA. In addition, BPA and other agencies are also required by law to protect non-listed salmon populations in an attempt to prevent further population declines. Summer spill is also a critical protection for the last remaining relatively healthy population of wild salmon and a staple tribal fishery in Washington's Hanford Reach area.

"Dams harvest about 85 percent of Columbia River fall Chinook salmon each year," said Buzz Ramsey, member NW Sportfishing Industry Association and salesmanager for Luhr-Jensen, the largest employer in Hood County. "Spill is the most important measure for mitigating hydro's excessive take of baby salmon. To make up for that loss, BPA continues to outline offsets that are insulting at worst and sketchy at best."

Spill is the term used for allowing water to spill over the dam in an effort to spill young fish with the water, thus bypassing the deadly turbines in the dam that generate power. Spill is the safest, scientific proven way to transport young fish with the dams in place. Without spill, the failed practice of trucking and barging young salmon down the river towards the ocean would need to continue despite studies that have shown that young salmon, particularly wild salmon, transported by truck and barge die at higher rates than those migrating in-river.

"Eliminating spill is yet another devastating move by this administration in a much larger pattern of failure for Pacific salmon and for us the people and communities that depend upon them," said Oliver Waldman, executive director, Salmon For All, a commercial fishing trade association. "The thought that salmon are being trucked alongside the river instead of swimming in the river where they have been for thousands of years is ludicrous."

"Flushing a little water around dams through spillways helps young fish avoid death by turbine or predator," said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, a commercial fishing trade association. "In other words, operating the river more like a river helps these fish survive. The current administration proposal to end that protection measure will kill an estimated 15,000 additional adult fish, all just to save mere cents per month per household in electricity costs. It is based on greed, not salmon biology."

I thought that most of the money being spent by the power companies for salmon recovery is being done for fear that the indians will sue for violations of their treaty rights. I would think that the tribes could exert alot of pressure to stop this stupid reduction in spill which will result in huge impacts to salmon.

Spill is a hot button right now for those who are watching the Columbia and other over-dammed rivers. But here's a question for which I would like an answer:

What happened to the nitrogen bubble disease? Maye 30 years ago, there was a HUGE uproar about smolt being killed below dams because of nitrogen bubbles in their bloodstream, caused by spilling water over the dams. The spilled water captured nitrogen and forced it into the spill to create a nitrogen super-saturation--it resulted in something like the bends only for fish. At that time, it was hailed as the doom of salmon and steelhead runs in the Columbia system. There was a lot of press (even an article by Larry Green in, I think, Field and Stream) about the problems and calls to reduce spill by a lot of fisheries folks and scientists. Of course, some of these scientists were the ones who forced the logging industry to remove large, woody debris from salmon streams.

This isn't meant to be a confrontational post, but it is a call for an answer. Are we ignoring nitrogen problems in the spill? Were the problems negated by a different spill regime? Is anyone better informed than I (boy, I hope so!) on the situation?

Curiously,

Keith

I think they reconfigured the tubes and spillways and greatly reduced the nitrogen bubble problem.

Where's Land Tuna when we need him? Still out there anywhere?

Fish on...

Todd

In my opinion the NSIA article is laden with simplistic misinformation and can be considered as little more than propaganda but aside from that it is hard not to see the dams as the greatest obstacle to upper Snake River anadromous fish.

My meager understanding is that while increasing flow rates and creating stronger currents by lowering the reservoir levels is of great benefit to migrating juvenile fish, the nitrogen supersaturation created by increased flow at the spillways causes enough mortality to pretty much cancel the benefit.

While barging the fish is not the natural solution it becomes the best way around the dams with increasing flows.

Studies have shown that the greatest survival of migrating juveniles comes with increased flow and natural migration to the collectors at the uppermost dam followed by barging and release at a point well below the supersaturated water from the lowest dam.

Perhaps a more natural solution might be found with creating more natural river flows in the future?

Plunker wrote:
"Perhaps a more natural solution might be found with creating more natural river flows in the future?"

How about TNT!

FLAME ON!

Good article Dave. Nitrogen supersaturation occurs when air is forced into the water under pressure. Breaking up the flow at the base of the dam prevents pressure, and structures to accomplish this were installed several years ago, so supersaturation is not the issue it once was. Spill has been working - hence the large number of returning salmon the past several years prior to this year. So far this year, because spill was curtailed in 2001 due to low flow (way lower than this year by the way), springers have returned at less than half their predicted rate, and fall limits have already been curtailed (one king instead of 2, 2 total instead of 3 as we had last year). All because of curtailed spill. So guess what, we can count on more season and limit reductions in a couple more years. Thanks George, hope this gets you the votes of your energy buddies, you shure lost mine

I beleive that Todd is correct in his assertion that reconfiguring the dams has dramatically decreased the nitrogen problem. IMHO If BPA admits that decreasing the flows will kill additional salmon it must be true.


While I am no expert on this either, I do know that such diverse groups as NSIA, Tribes and Commercial fishermen and many environmantal groups are concerned. I would tend to support groups who to protect fish then I would the BPA.

There is a weekly fish passage report that includes a wealth of information including data on nitrogen kill. I have not had time to review all the data yet. I do not want to attach it here as it is huge. You can get on their weekly fish passage report list by contacting Donna at this e mail address. DWATSON@FPC.ORG

If any of you want to see the most current report send me an e mail and i will forward it to you.

Kjackson,

Flip lips were installed at many of the mainstem dams where nitrogen supersaturation was a significant problem causing mortality to migrating juvenile salmon.

Plunker,

If your understanding is meager, why do you assume the article consists of simplistic misinformation and propaganda? This issue is fairly simple. Reduced spill directs migrating juvenile salmon and steelhead through the turbines, where mortality ranges from low to severe, depending on the specific turbine and its operating conditions and the species and size of the fish.

Scientific studies being as confounded by multiple variables as they are, the experts disagree on the surivival differences between barging and inriver migration. As one might expect, those working for interests adversely affected by spill favor barging, while those working for interests that favor fish are partial to inriver migration.

More natural flows in the river is exactly what salmon experts have recommended, and that results in increased spill, as "more natural" spring flows are higher than the powerhouse turbines can run. The natural spring flood is the normative river condition that salmon and steelhead evolved with. But the natural spring flood is now stored in reservoirs from Montana and Wyoming to British Columbia and Idaho, and mostly not available for fish migration. If it were, you could most certainly expect significantly higher smolt to adult survival of Snake/Columbia salmon and steelhead. The simplistic reason is that the migration to the ocean would be faster, in keeping with the fish's biological life cycle requirements, there would be less predation during the migration, and the Columbia River estuary would function better to meet the freshwater to seawater transition of the migrating fish.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I don't think that's a conspiracy, Aunty...that's just business as usual.

As the leading consumer of electricity, aluminum companies bottom line is extremely variable due to the variability in electricity prices.

Electricity prices are tied to dams...dams make more and cheaper electricity when the spill is regulated as such, so...

They are always one of the leading, if not the leading, proponents of delayed spill. And barging, and hatchery fish.

Fish on...

Todd

You're not going to have to worry about any impacts from spill....although you might start to worry about the continuation of Columbia springer and summer chinook seasons.

Fishing interests got creamed today at the BPA/Army Corp of Engineers hearing in Portland, which ended about 4pm.

The well-heeled, well prepared industry lobbyists dominated the field. From Weyhauser to Alcoa, lobbyist after lobbyist got up and demanded more electricity at cheaper prices.

To a person, they also testified there was still too much waste (spill) and their goal is to eliminate it entirely.

The tribal representativs presented the only significant opposition that BPA/ACE will have to be concerned about.