Dams Not Main Cause of Salmon Collapse

[sagefisher]

Just for info:

Dams Not Main Cause of Salmon Collapse, Study SaysJames Owen
for National Geographic News

October 27, 2008

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081027-salmon-dams.html


Larry ---sagefisher---

[DG]

I seem to recall a few years ago reading that they had identified somewhere on the far side of one hundred factors which were thought to or known to influence populations of salmon in the northwest.

I do know that dams without fish ladders make amazingly good barriers to fish passage.

[LadyFisher]

Can you believe not ONE word about commercial and tribal over-fishing? Duh.

[DShock]

There isn't any mention of how the Sea Lions use the Dams to chow down on the Salmon. There is no mention of the Northern Pike Minnow, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass and other predators, eating the smolts, in the (Dammed) rivers. What about the controversial move of releasing hatchery smolts? And the issue of holding back water, behind the Dams, instead of releasing it to help the smolts flush down the river.
Doug

[sagefisher]

Actually this report supports what the CCA (Coastal Conservation Association) has been saying about the salmon and steelhead from the northwest.

One of the clubs I belong to had Gary Loomis as the guest speaker and in his speech he said just about what this report said. It is the massive overfishing out in the oceans that is destroying our fishery.

He had the figures to demonstrate his statements.

I figure if Gary Loomis and the CCA say it is so, then there is a real high probability that it is so.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[JohnScott]

Larry -

Interesting article. Thanks for posting the link.

John

[Pete Hiatt]

With carefully controlled amounts of ocean fishing and a sudden drop in Sacramento chinook, it is illogical to assume that ocean overfishing caused the sudden drop.

[DShock]

Here is an Article that talks about what the real problems are: http://naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/...9/Default.aspx
Doug

[Kerry Stratton]

The river I live by has been affected by diking and dewatering of its estuaries, diking and channelizing of its main stem cutting off all sloughs and side channels. Every tree along its entire length has been cut down. Run off from farms, roads, developements, city streets, parking lots and anything else you can think of flowing into the river untreated; containing just about every chemical and polutant you can think of. Both the main stem and tributaries dammed changing the flow, temperature and chemical make up of the river forever. Its fish have been assaulted by nets and over fishing for about a century. Gee, I wonder why the fish are having such a hard time? Its about the habitat stupid.

And the people that live along it can only think about getting flooded. Dumb %&&$, don't build next to the river and you won't have to worry about it!

Same old story.

When the white man first moved to the Skagit Valley he asked the indians where he should build his house so he wouldn't get flooded. The indians told him to build above the high water mark on the trees. So, what did the white man do? He cut the trees down.

[flyfishfairwx]

Here is an Article that talks about what the real problems are: http://naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/...9/Default.aspx
Doug

What a very narrowly focused article....misses a whole raft of Real Problems...

I understand that you Doug are just reporting a information source, but this does not address the whole "Real Problem"