Fishy Evidence: Healthy salmon equals a healthy Northwest economy, but Bush administration policies don't add up. By Rebecca Wooder President George W. Bush was right, when in 2000 he said, "Washington faces important challenges, and there's no greater challenge than to save salmon…For all of us, those fish are a wonder of nature and they must be preserved." He was right again when he visited our state in August, and spoke about the importance of salmon to the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, his administration's actions are not living up to those words. Instead of contributing to healthy salmon populations, the administration's policies actually threaten wild salmon and the local economies that depend on them. When the president came to the Northwest, he chose the Snake River's Ice Harbor dam as the place to discuss salmon conservation. But that dam is a symbol of what's not being done to save salmon. At the time the president visited, the dam was operating in a way that created such high temperatures in the river that it was violating the Clean Water Act. In addition to allowing the clean water violations, the administration has underfunded its salmon recovery plan on the Columbia and Snake rivers, failed to implement more than half of the recovery measures it calls for, and has not kept enough water in those rivers to protect salmon during their migration. The administration is also attempting to allow more logging next to streams where salmon spawn, which will smother salmon eggs and degrade salmon habitat. Another proposal calls for removing small streams-- many of which provide habitat for salmon-- from the protection of the Clean Water Act. It is true that the number of salmon returning to the Columbia and Snake has increased in recent years. But the scientific evidence reveals that these returns are the result of favorable ocean conditions, not the administration's salmon recovery policies. This cyclical change is known as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation - a pattern that increases survival rates for most species of salmon during their years at sea. It is also important to note that the majority of this year's returning salmon are not wild fish - they were raised in hatcheries. Both state and federal scientists say that wild salmon and steelhead are still very much at risk. The good news is, we know what we need to do to recover these fish. We need to make sure enough cold, clean water is flowing in our rivers. We need to protect our streamside forests. And we need to improve dam operations. The Bush administration can play an important role in making these things happen. Scientists tell us that breaching the four dams on the lower Snake River would be the single most effective way to bring back that river's wild salmon. The administration has said it does not want those four dams to be breached. But in light of the administration's failure to deliver a valid recovery plan that keeps the dams in place, dam removal planning should commence now so that action can be taken soon if the federal government again fails to demonstrate that salmon can be protected while keeping the dams. It is time to make the big decisions if we are going to have any chance of saving wild salmon. Actions that truly address the major factors in the decline of salmon - like removing the lower Snake River dams -- must happen if we are to succeed. Making relatively minor adjustments to the status quo will not do the job. We do not have to choose between salmon and people. Conservationists are not pitting fish against farms, or fish against hydropower -- there are common sense ways to maintain our traditional economies and create new economic opportunities through salmon restoration. It is important to note that only one of the four lower Snake River dams (Ice Harbor Dam) services irrigators. The water is pumped from the reservoir behind the dam to irrigate 37,000 acres, which is less than one percent of the land irrigated by the Columbia and Snake River system as a whole. If the dam was breached, irrigators could continue drawing water from the free-flowing river. In addition, the four dams provide only 1200 megawatts of power - about 4 to 5 percent of the Northwest's energy supply. Smart investments in renewable energy sources and energy conservation could replace that much and still leave the region with the cheapest energy in the nation. And a recent study by the Rand Corporation reveals that diversifying the region's energy base will create jobs. Additionally, if we are to look at the whole economic picture, we must recognize the benefits of salmon recovery to fishing, recreation, tourism, and the high quality of life that attracts business. Salmon are an economic engine in the region. Commercial and sport fishing bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the regional economy, benefiting primarily rural communities. Take Riggins, Idaho, where salmon fishing generated over $10 million in 2001, and accounted for approximately 23% of all sales that year. And wild salmon are important for other reasons. They are a keystone species -- over 100 animals feed on salmon - and their loss would ripple throughout our region's ecosystems. The United States government has treaty obligations to Northwest tribes to maintain harvestable populations of salmon. Salmon are part of our cultural fabric and our region's identity. Polls have repeatedly shown that people in the Northwest want and value wild salmon. The Bush administration has the opportunity to create positive change in the Northwest, for both our environment and our economy. But actions speak louder than words. Citizens of the Northwest are waiting for the administration to deliver a real and credible plan for saving our wild salmon - a plan that is good for both fish and people. Rebecca Wodder is President of American Rivers. This essay first appeared at www.alternet.org.