Restoring salmon

Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s Salmon Recovery Workgroup was tasked with recommending policies that could “restore abundant, sustainable, and well distributed populations of salmon in Idaho.” The governor stated he would not support breaching the lower Snake River dams, but instead wanted to “breach the status quo.” Unfortunately, the most central features of that status quo are the four lower Snake River dams.

At some point the task force’s name changed to the Salmon [Recovery] Workgroup, acknowledging that the report’s recommendations, if adopted, will not recover Idaho’s threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead and will fall far short of the governor’s aspirational outcome.

Richard Scully served on the workgroup and has written Reflections/Perspectives on the Idaho Salmon Recovery Work Group. Scully spent 25 years as a fishery research biologist and fishery manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. He currently serves on the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Advisory Subpanel.

You can find Scully’s insider perspective on the efforts of the Idaho Salmon Workgroup at www.rmecon.com.

Scully’s succinct three-page document is essential reading for anyone interested in seeing the Snake River Basin’s rivers and streams once again filled with salmon and steelhead.

Linwood Laughy

Moscow