13 – Return to the River: Strategies for Salmon Restoration in the Columbia River Basin

Returning the river to a more natural state runs counter to the management philosophy that has guided salmon restoration in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) for much of the 20th century. For this reason, restoration or improvement of the ecological conditions will require an examination of the values that underlie Columbia River management. However, the conceptual foundation provides a scientific basis for that debate. In the recent past, failure of the scientific community to resolve key restoration issues was often used to justify maintaining the status quo and avoid the necessary public debate over the social and economic costs of salmon recovery. However, expecting scientists to agree on each of the key questions is an unrealistic assumption. The healthy exercise of scientific debate should not be used as an excuse to hold progress hostage to the unattainable goal of a perfect scientific consensus. If the region is genuine in its desire to restore Pacific salmon in the Columbia Basin, continuing the status quo is not an option. The first step in developing a scientifically-sound restoration program for salmon is to clearly articulate the conditions needed for salmon relative to the region's salmon recovery goals. The next step is to determine what changes in the federal hydropower system and other uses of the river are needed to achieve these conditions. The next step is the difficult job of debating the cost and benefits of salmon restoration. Significant changes will require painful decisions, perhaps even congressionally mandated alteration of federal hydrosystem project operations. Other lesser changes might limit; however, not eliminate, the region's ability to use the Columbia River as a navigation corridor and to supply some irrigation needs.