Based on a review of historical and archaeological evidence, a group of federal biologists has concluded that salmon definitely spawned in waters far above a series of hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River that have blocked fish since 1917.
The report comes as the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) considers whether to grant the utility Pacificorp a new license to operate four dams straddling the Oregon-California border as they are, or go along with Indian tribes, commercial fishermen and conservationists who want the dams removed or altered to open access to hundreds of miles of spawning habitat.
The peer-reviewed report, ‘Distribution of Anadramous Fishes in the Upper Klamath River Watershed Prior to Hydropower Dams,’ was compiled by biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management, and a hydraulic engineer from NOAA Fisheries.
The report will be included in Fish and Wildlife recommendations to the Interior Department, which will decide whether to demand fish passage as part of a new operating license for the dams. PacifiCorp wants to relicense four dams built between 1917 and 1962 that produce 147.2MW. PacifiCorp has put the cost of fish ladders and fish screens on the dams at US$100M.
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