Issue Position: Environment/Natural Resources - Salmon Recovery

Issue Position

With Pacific Coast Salmon and Steelhead returning in greater numbers than has been seen in decades in the Northwest and drought conditions resulting in a power crisis in the West last summer the calls for removal of the four dams on the Lower Snake River have receded.

It pleases me to see most Idahoans turning away from searching for a "silver bullet" fix to the plight the fish have faced in recent years. I, and many others, have always contended that the four dams on the Snake may play a small part in the declining stocks however, there are other causes that needed to be examined such as natural cyclical ocean conditions and predators as well as habitat for spawning. The upswing in the numbers of these fish returning from the ocean to spawn has shown this to be the case.

In our efforts to remove the Pacific Salmon and Steelhead from the Endangered Species List we must use sound science and continue to examine all possibilities as to the causes of these species being depleted to the point of becoming endangered. We cannot turn a blind eye to real possibilities and focus on a single issue.

You will be interested to know, I sponsored legislation along with Representative Mike Thompson (D-California) to give the five salmon states: Idaho, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska $200 million each to promote salmon recovery. This bill, H.R. 1157, the Pacific Salmon Recovery Act passed the House in June 2001. It now awaits action in the Senate. In the 106th Congress, Representative Thompson and I introduced identical legislation which also passed the House but did not receive a vote on the Senate floor. It is my hope the Senate will work to pass H.R. 1157 and give these states the money they need to do real work on the ground in efforts to further aid in the recovery of the Pacific Coast Salmon and Steelhead.

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