Once you destroy natural spawning grounds by constructing hydroelectric dams without fish ladders, then the only way to maintain runs of steelhead and salmon is through fish hatcheries.
At present on the Cowlitz river the runs of native salmon and steelhead no longer exist. The only reason there are any fish is because of the two fish hatcheries on the river. For decades after the dams were built, these two fish hatcheries did their job and fish populations were steady and plentiful.
Over the last decade, fish runs have declined to the point of no return. Many factors have contributed to this disaster. To name a few: Tacoma City Light’s regulations and broken promises, mismanagement of fish hatcheries, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife incompetence, and predation from sea lions, seals and fish-eating birds with nothing being done to regulate their ever growing population.
Today these problems still exist with no solution in sight. Now I read in The Chronicle that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been granted to restore salmon habitat through the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board.
The biggest grant of $600,000 goes to the Cowlitz Indian tribe, which is going to put logs in the Cispus river and Yellowjacket creek in East Lewis County.
This journey for salmon and steelhead will not be a natural one. First, these fish must make their way up the Cowlitz river, where they are captured at the Barrier Dam salmon hatchery, then trucked around three lakes and then deposited back into the river in the Packwood area.
This misuse of funds borders on criminal and will do nothing to increase fish runs on the Cowlitz river.
Possibly the people making these decisions should take some of the grant money available and buy some common sense.
Mike Barnett
Winlock
