After $8 Billion Spent, The Salmon Are Still Dying

[Psephos]

"For more than a quarter of a century, a federal agency in the Pacific Northwest has been running the world's most expensive wildlife restoration program, designed to save 13 species of endangered salmon and steelhead.

The Bonneville Power Administration, responding to concern about dwindling fish populations, has spent more than $8 billion helping salmon travel from the mountain streams of their birth to the Pacific Ocean and back again, where they lay eggs for the next generation. Impeding their journey are several hydroelectric dams.

The agency has little to show for its efforts. In any given year, only 1 percent to 3.5 percent of the fish complete the 1,800-mile round-trip fish trek, which begins 20 miles northeast of Lewiston, Idaho, and continues down the Snake and Columbia rivers. Fish scientists say the success rate should be at least double that."

<snip>

By JOHN J. FIALKA, The Wall Street Journal
Northwest Florida Daily News, reprinting

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articleArchive/sep2006/savingsalmon.php

A complicated problem, indeed...

[Erika]

1. The BPA is about max profits

You'll never find any non-company person who said they give a damn about the fish. Their actions reflect this.

[Psephos]

3. That was kinda my impression, too. n/t

[Broken_Hero]

2. hmmm

back home, they deal with this...SSRA(dont' ask me what it means) is basically a fish hatchery outfit, that goes to dam area's, and grow fish...they farm the eggs, and after a few weeks/months they release the fish....

A year later, the same fish come back to the hydro plant, and try to spawn...which they do, but SSRA catches a good number of them, gets their eggs, and repeats the process of growing the eggs...repeat/rinse.

[sandnsea]

4. wow - what a hit piece

"Northwest River Partners, a group that represents local utilities, farm groups and others that use the river for transportation, would rather not spend any more money to help the salmon. They also maintain that water spills don't help."

This is a damn stupid fight for the corporates to take on, they will never win. And my power is 5-9 cents, how about everybody else?

They are just determined to destroy everything. I really do not understand these people at all.